Our Focus is Talent: JobsOhio Invests $1.5M in Northwest Ohio Talent Pipeline Development

In early 2020, JobsOhio announced its 2019 results, as well as a Go Forward Strategy, which introduced an increased focus on its Talent Expansion Services and production initiative aimed at growing in-demand degrees in the state by up to 50%.

In March, we made a $1.5 million investment to seed manufacturing talent production. Working with Regional Growth Partnership (RGP), JobsOhio’s economic development partner in northwest Ohio, we engaged with 30 manufacturing businesses in the region to map critical skills, identify employer needs, and assess the education landscape and capacity to fill those job requirements. With that research, RGP and JobsOhio determined that there are significant manufacturing industry job openings and a need to help manufacturers fill these positions.

JobsOhio collaborated with local educational providers to determine their needs in order to educate a workforce with the critical skills northwest Ohio manufacturers seek. The result? A tailored, industry-focused approach that will help seed, support and expand educational programs to meet the demand. At its heart, the program will ensure that eight northwest Ohio educational institutions — including career centers and community colleges — are outfitted with the equipment, instructional expertise and tools that align with available and critical manufacturing jobs.

Workforce requirements must be matched by a desire from Ohio residents to fill those gaps. There’s value in ensuring not only that there are eligible workers, but also that they are aware of the availability and attractiveness of manufacturing as a critical career path. By working with area manufacturing businesses, educational institutions and manufacturing stakeholders including the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association, the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Northwest Ohio Manufacturing Alliance (NOMA), JobsOhio will fund a multifaceted regional marketing approach to increase that awareness and the enrollment in focused educational programs that align with employer-defined needs.

JobsOhio continues to innovate its perspective on supporting Ohio businesses and their talent needs. From assistance in locating a skilled, trained workforce through talent attraction, sourcing and prescreening, to developing — with our education partners — customized training for specific employer needs or training that meets wider industry requirements, JobsOhio is committed to helping companies find talent with the desired skills.

Available workforce will forever impact our goal of ensuring economic prosperity for companies in Ohio. That’s why we choose to focus on talent availability and to ensure that companies have highly skilled talent to drive their success. And Ohio’s economy.