A Northeast Ohio 501(c)(3) Organization
Skilled Trade Development
The Now
Hosting annual fundraising events as well as a paid in advisor board seats from generous donors across the manufacturing & skilled trade industry. We then put that money into income earning equities managed by Farmers Trust Co, to provide yearly recurring scholarships for local career and technical school graduates across Mahoning, Trumbull, Ashtabula & Cuyahoga county. The 2028 goal is to transition this endowment fund into a foundation where early education institutions focused on manufacturing and tradesperson work force development are able to receive grants including but not limited to new training equipment, increasing class room capability, and additional hands-on courses.
EDUCATE
Demonstrate via community outreach that attending a trade school is as respectable as attending a university. Raise awareness that a skilled trade career can be financially rewarding and provide a great quality of life.
ADVOCATE
Provide performance-based scholarships to high school seniors attending a skilled trade after graduation. By holding recipients accountable, you can ensure your contributions will not go to waste.
The Why
We understand that a traditional four-year college or university is not for everyone. This scholarship fund provides support for students seeking a career in the manufacturing or tradesperson industries. One Step Ahead Ohio helps these selected individuals offset the costs of post-graduate trade school for underserved, economically disadvantaged high school vocational students.
The second component is the Skilled Trade Advisor Board (STAB). This advisor board bring together local leaders in the manufacturing and skilled trade industry to collaborate on growth opportunities across Northeast Ohio for annual development donations geared towards enhancing the educational component of the manufacturing & skilled trade industry.
2023 Scholarship Recipient
Congratulations to Kai Adams of Trumbull County for being award our $1,000 - 2023 Skilled Trade Scholarship. Kai will be attending the Automotive Technician program at Matrix Trade Institute in the fall of 2023. Once certified as a diesel mechanic, Kai will work through his apprenticeship at Warren Diesel Performance. His career goal, within 5-10 years, would be to start his own local business as a master mechanic for the Northeast Ohio communities!