Ohio State helps launch Foundry School to support manufacturing workforce

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Ohio State helps launch Foundry School to support manufacturing workforce

National program will train manufacturing entrepreneurs, engineers and industrial leaders

The Ohio State University is a leading partner in a new, national program to support the growth of advanced manufacturing in the U.S.

Ohio State is one of seven universities partnering with Stanford University for a first-of-its-kind advanced manufacturing training program known as Foundry School. Foundry School is a national program to train the entrepreneurs, engineers, technicians and industrial leaders needed to rebuild American manufacturing.

Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the program details at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace on Thursday. During the launch event, Ohio State President Ravi V. Bellamkonda joined U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno, Meta President Dina Powell McCormick and other manufacturing and technology leaders for a panel focused on revitalizing American manufacturing and creating jobs. The program also featured presidents and senior leaders from the universities working to deliver the Foundry School curriculum.

"Ohio State is a national leader in advanced manufacturing, and we're excited to partner with the U.S. Departments of State and Labor, along with university peers from coast to coast, to launch the Foundry School," Bellamkonda said. "The university has a number of labs and centers, including the Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence (CDME), already partnering with employers to educate the next generation of manufacturing leaders, and the Foundry School will further enhance our offerings and help us tailor Ohio State's student experience to grow Ohio's economy and maximize job opportunities for our graduates. This work is core to our land grant mission, and Ohio State is proud to play a leading role."

Bellamkonda offered several examples of how Ohio State was already working with industry to support advanced manufacturing. CDME is partnering with a company in Piqua to help manufacture a novel, high-pressure sand-casting technology for defense alloys. Students from CDME work directly with the company to help develop the technology. After completing their paid program with the firm, they can often join the firm as an employee.

American manufacturers will need an estimated 3.8 million skilled workers by 2033 in semiconductor, defense, energy and other technology fields, according to a report referenced by the State Department. The Foundry School is designed to help close that gap.

"I'm very proud that we have Ohio State front and center along with Stanford, Penn State, and a few other great universities," Vance, an Ohio State alumnus, said. "I think it's an amazing collection of people, of institutions, of businesses, of thought leaders, and of entrepreneurs that we've gotten together in order to make this possible."

Stanford University has collaborated on the curriculum with Ohio State, Arizona State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Pennsylvania State University, University of Kansas, Vanderbilt University and Washington University in St. Louis. At each campus, the program will run 17 sessions, each taught by founders and CEOs from advanced manufacturing firms. Industry leaders will come from the U.S. and the Republic of Korea, Japan, Taiwan and India.

The curriculum begins this year on supporting campuses and will cover topics like fundamentals of modern factory design, materials and supply chains and assembly-line engineering. A core program hosted by Stanford University starts in January 2027 and will focus on precision tooling, industrial automation, digital manufacturing, defense production and other sessions.

"The future is through manufacturing in states like Ohio and in the Midwest," Bellamkonda said.

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