ST. CLAIRSVILLE ­– Belmont College will receive $260,000 in the latest round of Regionally Aligned Priorities in Delivering Skills program funding.

Through the grant, Belmont plans to purchase health care and energy and advanced manufacturing equipment for the purpose of training students.

RAPIDS is a $7.6 million grant funded by the Ohio Department of Higher Education and is distributed throughout the state.

The purpose of RAPIDS is to purchase state-of-the-art equipment for use in learning laboratories specific to regional workforce needs.

“The RAPIDS program has been a successful way to bolster Ohio’s workforce efforts and create a pipeline of skilled workers for regional employers,” Chancellor Randy Gardner said. “RAPIDS puts Belmont College students in a strong position to train and learn with up-to-date equipment and puts them on a path to a successful career. I’m pleased that Belmont continues to be a leader in workforce preparation, and that Governor (Mike) DeWine and legislators continue to support this important program.”

The regional award, totaling nearly $1 million, will be used to develop talent in the healthcare and advanced manufacturing fields. Belmont College was one of four Ohio community colleges, along with Eastern Gateway Community College, Washington State Community College, and Zane State College, to receive this grant.

The RAPIDS grant will enable Belmont to purchase high-tech simulation medical dispensing equipment for nursing and health science classes.

This computerized medical equipment will allow health sciences students the ability to learn and develop skills that they will need in the medical field.

Simulation is meant to replicate aspects of the real world in an interactive manner that allows students to be immersed in the learning environment.

Additionally, the college’s emergency medical services program will receive equipment for vehicle extraction and a new advanced cardiovascular life support defibrillator that will be used for training.

Furthermore, the following equipment will be purchased for use in energy and advanced manufacturing classes: stereolithographic 3-D printer, high resolution 3-D printer, X-Carve Pro milling machine, and data acquisition equipment for the college’s instrumentation and control program. The surveying program will also receive six field data loggers that will be used by students in the civil engineering technician program, and those students continuing in a four-year degree program through Belmont’s partnership with Akron University.

Additionally, two computer labs will be upgraded with new PCs.

“We are appreciative for the support from the State of Ohio for the RAPIDS grant,” said Ed Mowrer, operations manager, Energy Institute. “Funding from these grants has enabled us to upgrade the college’s lab facilities with high-tech equipment currently used in the manufacturing and healthcare fields. We are fully prepared to train our students for the careers that await them after graduation.”

Mowrer continued, “These funds are instrumental in providing state-of-the-art equipment and training in our classrooms to meet the demands of our workforce. The RAPIDS grant has allowed Belmont to continue to stay current with the latest technology needed to train and educate our students for the healthcare and/or manufacturing careers that await them.”