State Awards West Shore $5.78M Grant

West Shore coordinator Yakoob Badat with Gov. DeWine at the announcementl.

These two programs will be housed at Lakewood High School and will be able to serve an additional 96 West Shore Career-Tech students from Lakewood, Bay Village, Rocky River and Westlake. West Shore Career-Tech is a consortium comprised of those four school districts.

"We are delighted to hear that we have received the grant funds for two new exciting programs. Advancing educational and career opportunities for our students is our mission," said Lakewood Superintendent Maggie Niedzwiecki. "Each of these additions accelerates our students' abilities to gain employment in high-demand jobs when they graduate." 

Dr. Yakoob Badat, educational coordinator of West Shore, added: “The acquisition of $5.7 million in funding will empower us to establish cutting-edge welding and MEMS labs. This significant grant is an investment that will drive innovation and create new opportunities for our students. Thank you to the state leadership for supporting career technical education and workforce development.”

Administration projects that the earliest the career-tech programs may open is fall 2026. The welding facility is slated to be housed behind the high school north of the D building, where auto-tech currently is taught. The MEMS program will be located on the first floor of the high school, replacing some current classrooms. Both programs’ footprint will include lab and classroom space.

The grants received are part of a $200 million career-tech expansion grant program that was included in the most recent biennium budget.