The University of Toledo hosted the first of two in-person events exploring how to equip regional workers for the emerging hydrogen economy on Thursday, June 26.
The event encompassed four panel discussions on current and future workforce needs related to hydrogen production, distribution, storage and use, as well as regional and national approaches to meet these needs. The discussions support ongoing efforts to assess needs and opportunities for academic degree programs, courses and certifications by a collaborative initiative that is led by UToledo and supported by $3 million in congressionally directed spending through the U.S. Department of Energy.
Numerous stakeholders participated in the event on Thursday, including academics, industry experts and representatives of initiative partners at Case Western Reserve University, Cuyahoga Community College, Lorain County Community College, Northwest State Community College and Owens Community College, as well as the Workforce Intelligence Network and the Ohio Aerospace Institute.
Krystal York of the Electric Power Research Institute, from left, Rebecca Kreuzer of the Pacific Northwest National Lab and Kevin Cranick of the Workforce Intelligence Network participate in a panel during an event exploring how to equip regional workers for the emerging hydrogen economy on Thursday.
UToledo’s Dr. Sujata Shetty, from left, Dr. Mark Mason and Dr. Lesley Berhan lead the collaborative initiative to assess needs and opportunities for academic degree programs, courses and certifications related to the emerging hydrogen economy.
Representatives of DLZ, an engineering consulting firm based in Toledo, described their hydrogen-related projects during a panel discussion on Thursday. One example is a hydrogen-fueled vehicle that was parked outside the Brady Center.
