New BGSU initiative helps students build industry experience throughout college

The Advanced Manufacturing Career Accelerator prepares students for careers in Ohio’s largest economic sector through hands-on industry experiences

Students – and one of Ohio’s most in-demand industries - will get a boost from Bowling Green State University with a new initiative that puts students on an accelerated path to career opportunities in advanced manufacturing. 

The Advanced Manufacturing Career Accelerator is the first of several industry-specific career accelerators planned at Bowling Green that will provide students in a variety of majors with hands-on experiences and learning opportunities aligned with workforce needs.

“Career accelerators take career preparation to a new level, providing students with relevant experiences and opportunities clustered by industry,” said Kassie Cooper, director of the Advanced Manufacturing Career Accelerator. “These experiences are designed to build on what students are learning in class to provide them with a better understanding of the vast career opportunities available in advanced manufacturing. Because modern manufacturing depends on talent across nearly every part of an organization, students from a broad range of academic backgrounds can find ways to connect their skills and interests to the industry.”

Students can join a career accelerator at any point in their college experience, as early as their first semester. Regardless of their major, career accelerators help students explore their interests and connect their skills to a career in some of the most in-demand fields. In the classroom, faculty members reinforce the skills students are developing in the Career Accelerator, providing a strong academic foundation alongside hands-on experience.

“Bowling Green is a national leader in both the student experience and partnering with industries, and career accelerators merge these two strengths, giving students more access to potential employers and building Ohio’s talent pipeline,” said Steve Russell, chief partnerships officer.

The University will launch the Advanced Manufacturing Career Accelerator in Spring 2027. In addition to hands-on experience, students visit leading companies and receive career guidance from professionals working across the advanced manufacturing sector, which contributes $136.1 billion to Ohio’s economy.

Co-created with industry partners, career accelerators provide students with opportunities to work on real projects and challenges facing industries, providing career exposure and preparation before graduation. Future accelerators are planned in fields such as healthcare and agriculture.

“Many students are looking for ways to gain experience and make more informed decisions about their future, but they may not realize how many opportunities exist within advanced manufacturing,” Cooper said. “The Advanced Manufacturing Career Accelerator helps students gain real-world exposure to the people, projects and career pathways shaping the industry, while giving employers a meaningful way to build earlier connections with future talent.”

Students will have an early opportunity to experience the type of industry engagement central to the Career Accelerator at the BGSU Advanced Manufacturing Summit on Oct. 22, where students, manufacturers, industry leaders, faculty and regional partners will come together to explore talent, technology, innovation and the future of advanced manufacturing.  

The Advanced Manufacturing Career Accelerator builds on the University’s longstanding emphasis on career preparation – ranked No. 2 among all public universities in the nation and No. 1 in Ohio – and its national leadership in industry partnerships.

Career Accelerators complement the work-integrated learning already happening in classrooms across campus, allowing students to build their skills and confidence over multiple semesters through small, intentional steps to a career pathway.