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Columbus Business Journal
How Ohio is working to solve the workforce gap and skills shortage
By Vicki Maple – Central Ohio Technical College
Jun 19, 2019
One of the most ubiquitous and politically charged issues in the news
these days is that of mobilizing industry, education, and policymakers
as each recognizes the urgency and criticality of the workforce gap and
skills shortage in Ohio and throughout the nation.
In workforce news, mentions of the skills gap labor shortage or the
urgency to retool or upskill underemployed or displaced workers keep
appearing. As a solution strategy, sector-focused ecosystems are being
developed to foster innovative, collaborative efforts that combine
academia, industry, and government.
These initiatives are being led by or include technical and community
colleges, as communities recognize they must continue to produce and
increase the number of technically skilled and technology-adept
workers. Central Ohio Technical College (COTC), for example, is the
recipient of grant funding that provides scholarships to students
pursuing industry-recognized, short-term certificate training in such
in-demand fields as healthcare, culinary, public safety, and
engineering technologies.
COTC is also leveraging privately endowed funds to provide “promise
scholarships” in its Appalachian service area, as well as additional
grant funding to provide training for industrial technicians and
incumbent worker advancement credentialing at no cost to participants.
Through the efforts of COTC’s workforce development division, area
employers are identifying potential leaders and providing the necessary
training to advance them, thus backfilling the workforce pipeline with
newly skilled talent through apprenticeship models and other
technology-focused pathways.
The far-reaching impact of accessible and affordable technical
workforce training programs to educate and prepare individuals for
self-sustaining and family-sustaining careers with little to no student
loan debt is yielding a strong return on investment for stakeholders
ranging from employers and government entities to taxpayers and the
workforce.
The call to reenergize the long-neglected system of technical training
and job-centered education through industry and government relations
will produce transformative outcomes for communities and the state
economy. Moreover, it positions the Buckeye State as a leader and
driver of the intersectional impacts of employers, educators, students,
and economies.
The strategic and significant efforts of workforce education is a
journey and an ever-changing challenge. With technical and community
colleges traditionally being located within the heart of regional labor
markets and now being recognized as leaders in developing and
strengthening the industry network for the region, communities may now
see a number of benefits, including:
• a reduction in the skills-gap in participating counties;
• the development of career pathways leading to improved high school graduation rates; and
• a clear and better-defined value proposition for employer and elected partners.
Given the growing workforce shortage and skills gap, technical colleges
have been targeted as a source for providing the necessary training and
education to fill and advance a pipeline of skilled technicians in
various in-demand industries. Technical colleges were foundationally
built upon and have been strengthened by technology-focused challenges
driven by industry.
Focused requests and expectations of employers continue to be steeped
in advanced technical and 21st century soft skills training for new and
current workers. Similarly, their expectations for the technical and
community colleges are to provide flexible, non-credit and for-credit
curriculum models and frameworks that speak directly to their needs for
attracting a new workforce, while also strengthening and advancing the
current workforce.
The retention and employability of the trained workforce has proven to
be key as workforce practitioners and educators continue to explore how
influencing a climate of continuous learning is pertinent to not just
attracting and retaining a skilled workforce, but also to strengthening
an economy by impacting the productivity of the employers and employees
alike.
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