Ohio Workforce Coalition

The Ohio Manufacturers’ Workforce Summit will take place Wednesday, Nov. 1, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Registration is open now through Oct. 17. Event details and registration are available here.

The site includes a detailed agenda, speaker bios and other information about the event and venue.

The event is open to manufacturers, workforce intermediaries, workforce board members and staff, public and elected officials and staff, and education and economic development professionals.

For more information or registration, visit the event website.

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The Trump budget proposes drastic cuts to workforce development funding. The National Skills Coalition and Ohio Workforce Coalition urge you to reach out to your members of Congress and demand they reject these cuts. Search for your member here.

The House Education and Workforce Committee introduced legislation that would reauthorize Perkins. Read the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act as introduced by Representatives Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL).

Do you use ACT WorkKeys with clients and/or businesses? If so, you should know about changes coming to the WorkKeys assessments this fall. You can learn more on the ACT website.

Policy Matters Ohio has released a new paper about the track record of For-Profit Colleges in Ohio. Read it and other publications here.

Check out this New York Times article about how a job is no longer enough for economic stability: Steady Jobs, With Pay and Hours That Are Anything But.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation has released a new report that documents their learning about racial equity and inclusion during the Jobs Initiative, a multi-year, national initiative designed to improve employment options for young people leaving in low-income areas of the country. Read the full report online.

Reimagine Retail is a new initiative managed by the Aspen Institute with support from the Walmart Foundation. Are you considering work on retail pathways? Check out this list of resources about working in the retail sector.

As part of a broader effort to raise awareness of the important role job access and worker mobility play in our economy, the Fund for Our Economic Future is collecting stories from individuals affected by transportation challenges that prevent them from getting or keeping a job. Please distribute this flyer to those you think might have a story to share.

On July 13 at noon, join Cleveland-based non-profit Towards Employment for a Lunch & Learn about the results of WorkAdvance, a national demonstration project that was evaluated by MDRC. Towards Employment will share the highlights from the impact evaluation and what was unique to Northeast Ohio. To register for the webinar, email khansonmorris@newgrowthgroup.com.

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The Ohio Economic Development Association’s annual excellence awards program recognizes the achievements individuals and organizations in Ohio in the areas of economic and workforce development. Submit your nominations today and have excellence in your community recognized state-wide!

A panel of OEDA members will assess the nominations, determine finalists, and select an overall winner. Award winners will be announced at a ceremony during the OEDA Annual Summit to be held October 18-20 at The Renaissance Columbus Downtown, 50 N 3rd St, Columbus, OH 43215. All award finalists and winners will be notified prior to the Annual Summit.

Winners and finalists will be promoted on OEDA’s website and in an OEDA e-newsletter. This information may also be published by winners and finalists in the media and used for promotional purposes. Please note that if you are selected as a winner, you will be required to submit at least one audio and/or visual piece to highlight your winning entry during the program. This request will be sent from our office with notification of the winning entry.

Click here to visit our website Awards page for full details and to submit your nominations today!

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Action Needed by March 28! Help protect the Federal College Scorecard

Workforce Data Quality Campaign (WDQC) is working with several organizations in Washington, D.C. to send an open letter to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos about the importance of the federal College Scorecard, which shows graduation rates, repayment rates, and employment outcomes for colleges around the country. The federal data is the most comprehensive and is lifting up the need to align higher education with labor market demand./p>

There are warning signs that the Education Department may stop producing College Scorecard data, so it’s important to have a strong show of support right now. The Leadership of the Ohio Workforce Coalition supports WDQC’s efforts and encourages you to join us. You can help by having your organization sign on the letter, and distributing this information to your networks. Email Rachel Zinn, Director of WDQC, by 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 28!

A proposal for changes to Ohio’s mandatory employment and training program for food assistance recipients.

Ohio’s Office of Family Assistance (OFA) has submitted a proposal to change Ohio’s mandatory employment and training program due to a recent management evaluation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). Policy Matters Ohio has developed a brief that outlines the needs for these changes. You can read the full brief online here.

Good data out of Northeast Ohio

Two partnerships in Northeast Ohio participated in a national demonstration project called WorkAdvance. The results are in—and they are good! You can read a local report about the work in Cleveland and Youngstown here.

US DOL has released two long awaited RFPs

Reentry Projects

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) announces the availability of approximately $66 million in grant funds to serve either adults (ages 25 or older), or young adults (ages 18-24) who have been involved in the justice system make successful transitions back to the community. All projects must be located in high-poverty, high-crime communities. Click here to read the full RFP.

YouthBuild

The Employment and Training Administration announces the availability of approximately $80 million in grant funds for YouthBuild. WIOA further engages the YouthBuild program by making it a required One-Stop partner, providing the opportunity for YouthBuild to share its expertise in serving out-of-school youth. Click here to read the full RFP.

Opportunity to inform Ohio’s Career-Technical Content Standards

The Ohio Department of Education is reviewing content standards in 16 areas, starting with information technology, engineering, and manufacturing technology standards. They are looking for input from educators, community members, and industry professionals. Please complete this survey by May 6 for the standards in the career field or fields most relevant to your work. For more information contact one of the following career field program specialists: John Wiseman (manufacturing technology and engineering) or Kristopher Vignerone (information technology).

Skills-based-hiring taking root across Ohio

Did you know that OhioMeansJobs.com now assigns skills scores to all jobs posted? Skills scores are being used by several communities across Ohio to help connect businesses and job-seekers through a common language—skills. You can learn more about this work here or by emailing Rebecca Kusner to be connected to a partner in your area

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Ohio Economic Development Association (OEDA) is calling for proposal submissions to present at the 2017 Annual Summit, themed “Transforming Communities,” to take place October 18-20 at the Columbus Renaissance Downtown.

As the OEDA is transforming the summit this year with a new location, new initiatives and new speakers, the OEDA Annual Summit offers an opportunity to showcase solutions, initiate provocative discussions, and share effective strategies that have worked in your community. The OEDA is particularly interested in showcasing case studies related to community economic development and workforce development initiatives. The theme this year is also indicative of the transformation many communities have experienced over the last decade and how we are transforming economic development and its relevance in those communities. Panel presentations are encouraged along with local case studies and examples.

For more information or to submit a presentation proposal click here.

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Thousands of Ohio employees have received training to advance their career through the Ohio Incumbent Workforce Training Voucher Program, and now that number will increase because round five is rapidly approaching.

“It’s important that Ohio’s workforce keeps current,” said David Goodman, director of the Ohio Development Services Agency. “This training ensures employees stay ahead of the game, keeping Ohio competitive.”

Training in the following high-demand fields is eligible: Advanced Manufacturing, Aerospace and Aviation, Automotive Manufacturing, Automotive Technicians, BioHealth, Corporate Headquarters, Energy, Financial Services, Food Processing, Information Technology and Services, Polymers and Chemicals, Logistics, or Research and Development. Training opportunities include, but are not limited to, operational skills training, certification processes and equipment training. Training can occur at the employer’s facility, the provider’s training facility or at a third-party site.

The Ohio Development Services Agency reimburses the employer for up to 50 percent of the eligible training costs, up to $4,000 per employee, after 1) the employer pays the full cost of the training, and 2) the employee successfully completes the training. The maximum amount an employer may qualify for in a Fiscal Year is $75,000. The company must be in operation for at least 12 months in Ohio to participate.

Eligible businesses can begin the online application process on September 26, 2016 and will have three weeks to gather the necessary information to complete their application. The online applications will be accepted on a first-come, first- served basis and can be submitted beginning at 10:00 a.m. on October 14, 2016.

For more information about the Ohio Incumbent Workforce Training Voucher Program click here.

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Register now for the 2016 Best Practices Conference, May 18-20 in Crowne Plaza in downtown Columbus, Ohio.

You may register online at the member rate. Click on the OWC Member Conference Registration option and select “next”. You will then be asked to input a registration code. The code is OWC BP_2016.

Join the Mid-America Economic Development Council and the Ohio Workforce Coalition as these two organizations partner to provide insight from industry thought leaders about workforce challenges and opportunities that affect economic development across the Midwest and the nation. Presenters at the 2016 Best Practices Conference will address a number of relevant topics, including workforce development, talent acquisition and workforce retention. We look forward to seeing you in Ohio’s capital city, the fastest growing in the Midwest. Space is limited, so register today!

For the full schedule, hotel information, and to register, visit: Mid-America Economic Development Council.

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