Driving Our Economy Forward: PIE Innovation Center

CLEVELAND, Tenn. (WDEF) — What do you want to be when you grow up?

The PIE Innovation Center in Cleveland is working with local businesses to train students for future careers.

Let’s see how the center is driving our economy forward.

“The PIE Innovation Center is built to really address all students’ needs,” said Kyle Page, Property Manager. “We, like many other parts of the country, know that we have a skills gap from our students to what the workforce is saying they need.”

“They’re teaching skills,” said State Rep. Dan Howell, District 22. “They’re connecting those skills that are taught here in the PIE Center and in TCATs around the state of Tennessee, connecting those skills that these students learn with industry.”

“Machining, mechatronics, robotics, all kinds of different career paths, chem techs through Wacker and those programs,” Page said. “So just a lot of opportunities for this community and for the next generation of our workers, for our folks. Each one of the programs here at the PIE Center have direct involvement with companies. And those companies are driving what the needs are, what needs to be taught, what needs to be served, what we need to look at differently. And so there’s this ongoing continuation of collaboration, not just now with companies around town, but companies directly on site.”

“The PIE Center provides the students a unique opportunity to understand different opportunities within manufacturing, third party logistics, and distribution. It’s great having the kids on site because whenever they finish their school day, they can come down being an employee and learn those on-the-job training opportunities,” said Jared Smith, Piedmont National Corporation.

“I get to make money, of course, while going to school and furthering my education,” said Caleb White, a senior at Bradley Central High School. “I get to learn about the different machines that we have here. It’s just a lot of fun. And, of course, furthering my education will lead me to a whole lot of different opportunities.”

“We kind of started into this project,” Page said. “The county commission decided to go ahead and move forward with the purchase of the American Uniform Building, previously known. This building was built in 1949. It was opened up, and it was built to restock pile the American uniforms coming out of World War II. And it’s kind of ironic that this facility is still giving back to this community today, just in a different way. This is an awesome place. And as we grow our community, we can grow it from within with the next generation.”