Chamber Hosts Info Session Tuesday on ‘Ohio to Work’ Program

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber will host an information event on Tuesday about the state’s Ohio to Work program that is expanding into the Mahoning Valley.

The event will be held at Stamabugh Auditorium and will run from 7:30 to 9 a.m. 

Among the local partners in the jobs-training and employment program are the Regional Chamber, the Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition, Flying High Inc., United Returning Citizens, the Mahoning Columbiana Training Association and the Trumbull County Workforce Development Board.

Other partners include JobsOhio, Team NEO and the National Center for Urban Solutions.

In the announcement of the Sept. 28, the chamber encouraged businesses in health care, manufacturing and IT to attend the information session.

After a pilot program was launched in the Cleveland area last year, Gov. Mike DeWine announced on Wednesday that Ohio to Work would expand to five more communities across the state, including the Mahoning Valley.

“Since workforce development is by far the No. 1 issue facing our members and pretty much every employer in the Valley, there’s nothing that we can do as a business organization that is more important,” said Guy Coviello, the Regional Chamber’s president and CEO, shortly after the announcement. 

Ohio to Work will help jobseekers get training for in-demand jobs and will connect with them interested employers. 

Locally, the Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition will serve as the operations manager and oversee the coaching and training partners, as well as getting businesses involved in the program.

“The additional emphasis that Ohio to Work is putting on in-demand jobs and the related training opportunities in the region is really going to be helpful to make sure that people that could benefit from being connected to these jobs, advancement opportunities and good pay have a good understanding of where the jobs are and how they can get connected,” said Jessica Borza, executive director of the MVMC.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.