New programs needed to shrink gap between job openings and job seekers

One only needs to speak to employers, or to those seeking jobs, to realize that the skills gap is indeed evident in our region. It is also supported by the numbers: Ohio counted 316,000 unemployed residents in June, according to the Department of Job and Family Services.
At the same time, more than 186,000 job openings were posted on the state job listings website, OhioMeansJobs.com.
Quite simply, the available jobs do not match the skills of the individuals seeking employment. Several tactics are being used to address this discrepancy. Some groups seek to recruit talent from outside our community. Others work to retain our most educated and skilled individuals, particularly those who graduate from our institutions of higher learning.
A third approach recognizes that many of our residents do not yet realize that they need advanced training. The changing face of manufacturing, health care and other industries means that a high-school diploma is no longer sufficient to earn a family-sustaining wage. Many of those who do see this reality nonetheless believe that the required education is out of reach. 
Meeting challenges
As a way to address the concerns, Tri-C has introduced Right Skills Now with Swagelok and the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, which features paid internships and waiting full-time positions as CNC operators at Swagelock. Tri-C is also working closely with other large and small employers in the community to ensure that programs align with their needs.
But programs to match the number of job openings with prepared workers have not yet reached their potential. Tri-C is working with schools and community organizations to make more students, from a younger age, aware of the opportunities and requirements of the new workforce.
Finances remain a challenge for many otherwise promising potential workers. Even affordable opportunities can seem impossible for someone on unemployment or working a minimum wage job.
Pay-it-forward approaches in programs such as Tri-C’s IT Futureworks help to fill this need. The program training includes a paid internship and job placement services. We also are pushing for changes in federal financial aid policy to cover non-credit workforce programs, which would open doors for many to provide for their families through fulfilling, productive careers.
Partnerships are key
Of course, partnership remains key. No one institution or employer can meet the need on its own. Tri-C is joining with four-year institutions to ensure clear pathways to further education for graduates, including a proposed new bachelor of science in nursing completion program in collaboration with Cleveland State University.
Together we can meet the challenges of the skills gap. Already the work has begun. But it will require sustained collaboration to ensure that we prepare a new generation for the vibrant, competitive Cleveland workforce of tomorrow.