Adams County training center boosts workforce skills in West Union

The Adams County Training and Business Center turns a former grocery store site at 107 E. Walnut Street in West Union into a place where residents can pick up job skills without leaving the county. The 15,000 to 15,100 square-foot building sits on the old Prather’s IGA grocery store site and was renovated as a county-backed workforce asset, not as a decorative civic project.

That matters in a county where a trip to class can mean lost wages, child-care logistics, and extra miles on the road. By placing training downtown, Adams County gives job seekers, working adults, and small employers a local option for education, certification prep, and skill-building that used to be harder to access close to home.

What residents can use it for now

The center opened with a practical menu of services built around adult education and employability. County leaders said residents of Adams County and surrounding counties would have access to CMA classes, STNA classes, and Aspire/GED classes, along with other training shaped around employer needs.

Southern State Community College’s Adult Opportunity Center partnered with the center to launch free adult education classes in January 2024. The inaugural Aspire class focused on adult literacy, writing, math improvement, and related job skills, which makes the program especially relevant for adults trying to qualify for better-paying work or complete a credential they started years ago.

That mix of offerings gives the center a rare county-level function: it can serve someone who needs basic academic support, someone chasing a health-care credential, and someone who simply needs stronger computer and workplace skills before applying for a new job. The building’s value is in that range. It is not one program for one audience, but a local entry point for several different workforce paths.

How the center was built and who backed it

Adams County Economic and Community Development says the Board of County Commissioners purchased and renovated the building for the training center, and the project was supported by an Appalachian Regional Commission grant, Dayton Power & Light Company, and the G.R.I.T. Project. Those backers matter because they show the county was able to assemble outside support for a facility meant to strengthen local employment over the long term.

The Appalachian Regional Commission has long treated workforce development, entrepreneurship, and worker training as core tools for Appalachian communities. That regional focus fits West Union’s new center closely: the point is to make training available where people already live, while linking that training to the jobs and business needs of rural Ohio.

The county’s approach also reflects a straightforward economic logic. In smaller labor markets, the distance between a resident and a training program can be enough to keep that resident from enrolling at all. Bringing classes to West Union lowers that barrier and keeps more education spending, training time, and workforce development activity inside Adams County.

What local leaders said at the opening

County officials framed the center as both a practical asset and a long-term investment. Adams County Commissioner Diane Ward called the opening a “momentous occasion” and said the facility would serve as a “beacon of opportunity” for residents and the broader region. Commissioner Kelly Jones said the county welcomed residents and local businesses to use the center to grow their skills and businesses.

At the June 10, 2024 grand opening, Economic Director Paul Worley said the center was “more than just a building” and described it as a symbol of collective commitment to a more prosperous future for Adams County. Worley also recognized former Commissioner Ty Pell and former Commissioner Holly Johnson for helping make the project happen. Lt. Gov. Jon Husted attended the grand opening, underscoring the state-level attention the project drew when it moved from renovation to public use.

Those comments point to the center’s intended audience: not just students, but employers, small firms, and adults who need a second chance to get into training. The county has treated the facility as a workforce tool that can be used by people trying to improve wages, fill openings, or get a foothold in a new occupation.

How the programming has grown

The early calendar shows the center was meant to be active quickly, not left waiting for a future phase. The county’s economic development materials said the site would host CMA, STNA, and Aspire/GED classes, and that Southern State Community College, Shawnee State University, and Maysville Community and Technical College had committed to support training classes.

By 2024, the center had already expanded into clinical medical assistant training. That addition matters because health care continues to be one of the most durable employment sectors in rural Ohio, and clinical medical assistant training can create a direct path into local clinics, physician offices, and related care settings.

The center’s partnership with Southern State’s Adult Opportunity Center also gives a way to measure its role in the broader education pipeline. In the 2024-25 academic year, the Adult Opportunity Center served 162 students and 37 students earned GEDs. In 2025, the Adult Opportunity Center recognized the Adams County Training and Business Center with its “Friends of Aspire” award for outstanding partnership with both the Adult Opportunity Center and Southern State Community College.

That award is a useful signal for employers and residents alike. It shows the West Union facility is not operating as an isolated room of classes, but as part of a functioning adult-education network that is moving students toward credentials. For a county trying to keep workers local, that kind of pipeline is the point.

What it means for Adams County businesses

For employers, the center is most valuable as a local supply line for usable skills. The classes are built around adult literacy, writing, math improvement, computer and digital skills, and career-readiness training, which are the kinds of capabilities that can affect attendance, productivity, and retention before a worker ever enters a specialized job.

The county’s business message has been consistent: the center is there for residents and local businesses. That means a manufacturer, health-care provider, contractor, or small shop owner does not have to look outside the county first when trying to build a stronger applicant pool. The facility gives employers a place to point prospective workers toward training without sending them to another county for the basics.

The long-term test will be whether more residents complete credentials, whether local employers keep using the program, and whether the county can continue adding classes that match the jobs actually available in Adams County. The early signs are already visible in the free adult education launch, the clinical medical assistant expansion, and the 2025 recognition from Southern State. Taken together, those pieces show a downtown building in West Union being used for what county leaders intended: a local workforce hub that makes it easier to train, qualify, and stay in Adams County.