Southern Ohio is entering one of the most significant periods of industrial growth in its history. ASCEND Academy exists to make sure the people of this region are ready for it — and that employers can find the skilled workforce they need to expand and thrive.
Contact Us ✉ See Where You Fit ↓The Academy is built around a simple insight: training works when it starts with what employers actually need. Every person in Southern Ohio deserves a pathway to a meaningful career.
Not just a job — a career. ASCEND Academy builds pathways into the industries powering Southern Ohio's future: construction, advanced manufacturing, energy technologies, environmental services, professional services, and more. You don't have to figure it out alone.
Your experience matters. Whether you've been laid off, displaced, or simply ready for something new — the Academy helps you translate what you already know into credentials that regional employers value.
You've already demonstrated the discipline, teamwork, and work ethic employers want. ASCEND Academy bridges the gap between military experience and the civilian credentials that open doors in Southern Ohio's industrial economy.
You shouldn't have to solve workforce shortages alone. ASCEND Academy builds training around your actual needs — so graduates walk in the door ready to contribute from day one. Your participation shapes the curriculum.
Most workforce systems begin by asking what educational institutions are prepared to deliver. ASCEND Academy begins with a different question: What workforce do employers actually need to build the future of Southern Ohio?
That distinction shapes everything. The Academy is the workforce implementation partner of the ASCEND Business Alliance. Through the Alliance, employers collectively identify emerging workforce requirements — and the Academy translates those requirements into coordinated career pathways delivered through existing regional partners.
The result is training that is relevant by design, not by accident.
ASCEND Academy graduates also benefit from direct access to ASCEND Business Alliance member employers — the same businesses that help shape the curriculum and actively recruit from the Academy pipeline. Training connects directly to opportunity.
"Strong businesses create opportunity. Skilled people sustain strong businesses. Connected career pathways create both."
Economic development and workforce development are inseparable. Communities cannot recruit employers without a prepared workforce. Educational institutions cannot prepare students without understanding employer needs. Workers cannot confidently invest in their education without clear visibility into future careers.
ASCEND Academy strengthens every one of those connections.
Workforce priorities are informed by verified employer demand through the ASCEND Business Alliance — not assumptions about what might be useful.
The Academy coordinates existing institutions and expands their collective impact. It does not build another institution competing for students or funding.
Career pathways serve students, incumbent workers, veterans, career changers, displaced workers, and lifelong learners — wherever they are in life.
Programs respond to workforce needs across Southern Ohio while remaining anchored to the PORTS ecosystem that defines the region's future.
Curriculum evolves continuously with industry, emerging technology, and employer demand. Relevance is a moving target — and the Academy moves with it.
Success is tracked through employment outcomes, employer satisfaction, credential attainment, wage growth, and workforce participation rates.
Long-term employer partnerships and diversified funding sources create enduring workforce capacity that outlasts any single project or grant cycle.
ASCEND Academy works with existing K–12, higher education, career technical centers, organized labor credentialing, and all supportive organizations to find and fill in gaps, referring collaboratively so students thrive.
Through ASCEND Alliance industry councils, businesses communicate anticipated hiring, emerging occupations, skill shortages, and future workforce priorities. Collective demand replaces isolated requests.
Common competencies, credential requirements, and emerging occupations are identified across industries. Individual employer needs become regional workforce opportunities.
Rather than building new institutions, ASCEND coordinates existing schools, colleges, career centers, apprenticeship programs, and training providers — each contributing their strengths to a unified pathway.
Businesses review curriculum, lead advisory panels, host internships, provide instructors, and connect graduates with hiring opportunities. The loop between training and employment stays tight.
Job placement, wage growth, credential attainment, employer satisfaction, and retention data continuously improve the system. Success is measured in lives changed — not classes delivered.
ASCEND Academy creates clear, employer-validated pathways from where you are today to a meaningful career in Southern Ohio's growing industries.
Stop reacting to workforce shortages after they emerge. ASCEND Academy puts you at the center of the training system — so the workforce you need is being prepared before you need it.
Southern Ohio already has strong schools, career centers, colleges, and training providers. The challenge isn't a shortage of institutions — it's coordination. ASCEND Academy fills that gap.
Continuously gather workforce intelligence from employers through Alliance councils — anticipated hiring, new technologies, succession needs, and emerging occupations.
Organize K–12 schools, career centers, colleges, labor organizations, libraries, and training providers around shared regional priorities — strengthening what exists.
Connect learners with coursework, certifications, apprenticeships, online learning, boot camps, and leadership programs — using existing providers before developing new capacity.
Track employment placement, wage growth, credential attainment, employer satisfaction, and program completion — and use that data to continuously improve.
The Academy is designed to reach every learner in Southern Ohio — whether they can come to a facility or need to learn from anywhere.
A centrally located facility in Pike County serves as the regional hub where employers, students, educators, and workforce partners can collaborate in person.
A digital learning platform extends Academy access across all of Southern Ohio — reaching students, incumbent workers, veterans, and rural learners regardless of location.
ASCEND Academy does not compete with existing institutions — it coordinates them. Each partner contributes its strengths to a unified regional workforce ecosystem.
| Regional Partner | Primary Contribution |
|---|---|
| School Districts | Career awareness, foundational education, early career exploration |
| Career & Technical Centers | Technical skills, career readiness, credential preparation |
| Community Colleges | Certificates, associate degrees, incumbent worker training |
| Universities | Bachelor's and graduate education, research, leadership development |
| Labor Organizations | Apprenticeships, skilled trades, safety training |
| ASCEND Business Alliance Employers | Workforce demand signals, internships, mentoring, direct hiring pathways |
| Workforce Agencies | Career services, funding support, employment navigation |
| Libraries | Digital literacy, lifelong learning, community access points |
| Industry Associations | Standards, certifications, industry best practices |
| Private Training Providers & Online Learning | Specialized technical instruction, flexible and scalable delivery |
Strong careers require strong businesses creating opportunity — and strong communities where people choose to stay. Explore the full ASCEND ecosystem.
ASCEND Academy is building Southern Ohio's next generation of career pathways. Whether you're a learner ready to move forward or an employer ready to get involved — we want to hear from you.
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