With Teamwork, Ohio Builds the Workforce of the Future

The Challenge

Artificial intelligence is the future, and in Ohio, we have the strategy, talent, resources, and infrastructure to help implement automation into our business environment and steer the AI transition as it continues to impact the advanced manufacturing industry.

This know-how won’t come without vision and planning. Ohio needs to train the future workforce by offering more hands-on experience in STEM. These experiences will help close the skills gap and prepare a new generation of workers entering high-demand, high-tech careers.

The Solution

In Northeast Ohio, education, industry, and government organizations have partnered to bring the Experiential Robotics Platform (XRP) to the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD), a groundbreaking initiative that prepares students for the future of work. The program will introduce over 1,000 robotics kits—at less than the cost of a textbook—into CMSD classrooms, leveraging community and industry partnerships to drive down costs and make STEM learning more accessible.

Founded in 2019, the XRP program is now a global platform that has delivered more than 25,000 robotics kits to schools in over 180 countries. The XRP robotics kit is 3-D printed (allowing students to engage with cutting-edge technology), and pairs with a curriculum taught by global leaders and innovators in additive manufacturing.

The Sherwin-Williams Company served as a leader in bringing the XRP program to Ohio, joining forces with JobsOhio, the Ohio Manufacturers Association, and The Ohio State University to monitor the program and ensure its success. The XPR program is just one way The Sherwin-Williams Company is utilizing the JobsOhio Talent Acquisition Services incentive to build a strong STEM talent pipeline.  In addition to the robotics kits, funding will support 3D printers, annual training, and robotics competition game fields.

The Results

• East Tech High School students will produce over 500 XRP robots with the 3-D printers during their Manufacturing Pre-Apprenticeship with MAGNET.
• This partnership is part of a broader initiative to expand Cleveland robotics, with six FIRST® Robotics Competition Teams in high school, 19 FIRST® Tech Challenge Teams in a middle school league, and 45 FIRST® Lego League teams supporting grades K-8. 
• Through a partnership with Cleveland State University, robotics students will continue to explore engineering in STEM camps and paid internships each summer.

Economic Impact

Outfitting Ohio classrooms is a relatively modest investment with transformative potential to shape tomorrow’s jobs and build a statewide talent pipeline that connects education and industry.

Strategic Advantage

The launch of the XRP program is another step toward equipping Ohio students with the skills necessary to thrive in an innovation-driven economy. It’s an investment that responds to the real needs of employers in Ohio. It demonstrates how forging partnerships with the state’s robust educational ecosystem can help address one of the biggest challenges facing our workforce nationwide.

 “The XRP program demonstrates how locally driven innovation can meet one of today’s biggest challenges: the impact of AI and automation on the American workforce. By giving students hands-on experience in coding and engineering, Experiential Robotics is helping close the skills gap and prepare the next generation for high-demand, high-tech careers. I’m pleased to see communities stepping up with solutions that not only strengthen economies, but respond to the real needs of families, schools, and employers.”

U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon