ODON — Regional Opportunity Initiatives (ROI) celebrated a significant milestone this week with the ribbon-cutting for its new Microelectronics Training Hub at WestGate@Crane Technology Park.
Developed in partnership with Reliable MicroSystems, LLC, the state-of-the-art facility is designed to provide students with hands-on training using advanced equipment, preparing them directly for careers in the rapidly growing microelectronics industry.
ROI’s Indiana Uplands ME Training Hub features a dedicated classroom and lab space designed to immerse students in hands-on learning experiences. Inside, students have access to advanced workstations, electronic testing and design equipment, a training cleanroom, and specialized software used across the microelectronics industry. The facility is outfitted for dual-enrollment coursework, technical training, and applied projects that mirror real-world defense and industry needs. By co-locating the Hub within Rel-Micro, students are also exposed to a professional engineering environment where research, design, and prototyping are actively underway.
“The ME Hub is a cornerstone in ROI’s portfolio of ME projects, and it represents a powerful collaboration to ensure that students and adults in the Indiana Uplands have exposure and pathways into one of the most critical industries of our time,” said Tina Peterson, ROI’s President and CEO. “With the launch of MOMENTUM, we’re uniting education, workforce, and national security priorities under one banner that signals our commitment to sustained progress while positioning our region and our young people for long-term success.”
Attendees toured both ROI’s new Indiana Uplands ME Training Hub and Rel-Micro’s facility, gaining firsthand insight into how K–12 schools, post-secondary schools, industry, and defense partners are collaborating to prepare the next generation of microelectronics talent.
The launch also featured a student signing ceremony for the first cohort of the Indiana Uplands Microelectronics Academy, with participating high school students from Bloomfield, Loogootee, and Washington officially committing to the program.
The Academy is part of ROI’s newly branded workforce initiative, MOMENTUM: Indiana Uplands Microelectronics Workforce Development, which aims to build a skilled local talent pipeline for high-tech jobs.ROI Launches Microelectronics Training Hub at WestGate@Crane Tech Park
