The massive technology and energy project at Piketon is already attracting workers away from their current jobs. Now the companies behind the development are putting $6.4 million into helping more Southern Ohio residents qualify for the opportunities ahead.
And $5 million of that money is headed to Shawnee State University.
The Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative (SODI) announced Friday that SB Energy and OpenAI are making the investments through an $80 million community benefit fund connected to the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus.
The money will go toward training electricians, preparing students for technical careers and teaching workers the skills needed to operate and maintain large industrial facilities.
It’s the first round of workforce training investments, with more expected.
We’ve Already Seen the Jobs Drawing Workers Away
Just last week, Scioto County commissioners accepted the resignations of two experienced county employees who are leaving for opportunities connected to the Piketon site.
Deputy Emergency Management Agency Director Bill Lynn accepted a position with the U.S. Department of Energy.
Lori Morton, director of the Scioto County Land Bank and a financial manager for other county offices, also resigned to take a job associated with the site.
Commissioner Scottie Powell warned that the county would face increasing competition for employees as investment in the region creates new opportunities.
Commissioner Merit Smith agreed, pointing out that the county simply can’t match some of the salaries being offered.
“We’re going to start losing some good people,” Smith said.
He added that the county would have to find replacements while competing against employers with considerably more money.
Now the companies involved in the development are investing in programs designed to create a larger pool of qualified local workers.
$5 Million for Shawnee State University
Shawnee State University will receive the largest share of the initial investment.
The $5 million will help renovate and equip laboratories where students can learn about advanced computing, electrical and mechanical systems, and other technical fields.
These are the kinds of skills needed to keep a massive data center and its power facilities running.
The investment will also support ShawneeWORKS, a recently announced partnership between Shawnee State and five regional career technical centers.
As we’ve previously reported, ShawneeWORKS is designed to give career-tech students a clearer path to continue their education, earn additional credentials and prepare for jobs without leaving Southern Ohio.
The new investment connects that effort directly to the opportunities expected at Piketon.
Shawnee State President Eric Braun said the goal is to help students and adults prepare for the new jobs.
“Working with SB Energy and OpenAI, we can connect our region’s schools with the new jobs coming to the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus,” Braun said.
That could mean more students moving from high school career-tech programs into additional training at Shawnee State and eventually into local jobs.
$1 Million to Train Electricians
The Electrical Training Academy in Portsmouth will receive $1 million.
The academy works with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 575 and contractors associated with the National Electrical Contractors Association.
The funding will help purchase equipment, improve training labs and expand programs that introduce students to electrical careers before they enter a formal apprenticeship.
The expansion will involve regional career technical centers, including those serving Scioto and Pike counties and Buckeye Hills.
The programs will also reach more adults and homeschooled students.
Matt Louanglath, director of the Electrical Training Academy, said an apprenticeship gave him the chance to learn a trade while earning a living.
He hopes the investment will open that same door for more local residents.
The electrical work involved in building and maintaining a major technology campus could create opportunities for workers who don’t necessarily want to pursue a traditional four-year college degree.
$400,000 for Industrial Training
Another $400,000 will go to the Appalachian Career Empowerment (ACE) Training Center operated by United Steelworkers Local 689 in Piketon.
The program aims to train 720 people over three years.
Students will learn industrial safety, equipment operation and manufacturing processes.
Those skills could be useful in construction, maintenance and day-to-day operations at the technology campus.
USW Local 689 has represented workers at the Department of Energy site for decades.
Union President Andria Tipton said the program will allow experienced workers to pass along their knowledge to the next generation.
Just How Big Is the Piketon Project?
The PORTS-Pike Technology Campus is being developed at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant site, where federal cleanup and redevelopment work has been underway for years.
Plans call for a massive artificial intelligence and data center complex, along with new power generation and electrical infrastructure.
The proposed development includes an initial 800-megawatt data center, with plans for a much larger campus over time.
The broader project also includes a proposed 9.2-gigawatt natural gas power plant and major electrical transmission improvements.
The companies involved expect the development to create thousands of construction and operating jobs over time.
But not every job will be the same.
Some workers will build the facilities. Others will install electrical and mechanical systems. Still others will be needed to maintain the equipment, operate the buildings and keep the technology running once construction is complete.
That’s why the new investments cover everything from electrical apprenticeships to advanced computing and industrial safety.
Will Local People Get the Jobs?
That’s the question behind the investment.
Southern Ohio has seen major industrial employers come and go over the decades. The promise of thousands of new jobs is welcome news, but residents still need the training and qualifications to compete for them.
SODI Executive Director Steve Shepherd said preparing local people for those opportunities is an essential part of redeveloping the former federal site.
The $6.4 million announced Friday is the first portion of the $80 million community benefit fund that SB Energy and OpenAI have committed to the project.
Additional investments are planned, including efforts to help residents complete training, find employment and create opportunities for local businesses.
The announcement doesn’t guarantee that everyone who completes one of these programs will land a job at the campus.
But it does put money behind the effort to make sure Southern Ohio workers have a chance.
And as Scioto County commissioners have already discovered, the competition for those workers is no longer something that’s coming someday.
It’s already here.
