LEBANON, OH Fecon, Inc., based in Lebanon, Ohio, is developing a unique and successful approach to achieving a career-ready work force.

Given the wide range of products they manufacture, Fecon requires a diverse, dedicated, and skilled workforce. To that end, they have cultivated robust relationships with local universities, high schools and technology training schools. The success of this approach is not in a single aspect of it, but rather in the broad range of programs in which Fecon takes part.

At the university level, Fecon hosts engineering internships for 12 students from the University of Cincinnati (UC), University of Dayton (UD) and Ohio State University (OSU) each year. They also participate in a cooperative education program with the Honors-PLUS program in UC's College of Business. They grant internships to OSU students majoring in international business via the Ohio Export Internship Program. Fecon offers real-world design issues to engineering students at UD's Innovation Center, who are tasked with producing design, design and build, redesign, or innovation of a product. A senior Fecon engineer mentors students during the semester-long assignments. Fecon also participated as a case study in a semester-long strategic analysis conducted by students of UD's MBA program.

At the high school and technology training school levels, Fecon has a longstanding partnership with the Warren County Career Center (WCCC), accepting up to five welding and machinist interns from their program each year. Their Operations Manager conducts presentations during WCCC welding and machining classes. To ensure students are able to gain as much hands-on practice as possible, Fecon donated 5 tons of scrap steel to the WCCC program. The company also provides real-world engineering drawings to WCCC for welding students' practice. Recently, Fecon started a similar program with Butler (County) Technology and Career Development Schools, speaking at classes and providing tours and information to their students.

Fecon believes that, in order to have a workforce with the skills necessary to make their business succeed, they must assist in building that workforce. Their wide-ranging and diversified approach to these internships and partnerships are in large part what makes Fecon the success it is today.