YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – JobsOhio, the state’s private development arm, and Lake to River Economic Development announced Monday that it has launched a new incentives program designed to encourage employers to invest in workforce training.
“This is a new earn-to-learn program that will offer each employer $10,000 [per worker] to train up a current employee or a new employee in an apprenticeship, a training program, or an approved degree program,” said Dani Robbins, CEO of Lake to River.
The announcement was made at Youngstown State University’s Excellence Training Center downtown. The program became activated this morning and is open for applications.
Robbins said the program – the JobsOhio Technician Path – is the first phase of a $300 million investment by JobsOhio to boost the skill sets of technician workers across the state “It’s the skilled worker that keeps production running,” she said.
Technicians such as operators, industrial maintenance workers, and systems specialists, are in high demand among the region’s employers, Robbins said, while the new program provides a pathway for these employers to provide the training needed for workers to earn strong wages in a satisfying career. “This program addresses both of those needs,” she said.
The Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition serves as the program’s regional liaison and administrator, connecting with companies in Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana, and Ashtabula counties.
“We sort of untangle the web of the different types of training providers, different types of programs,” said Alex Hertzer, executive director of MVMC. “The big part is making sure that they’re connected with that incentive funding,” he said. “Should they build a program, should they scale a program, the goal is that it aligns with the $10,000 in funding.”
MVMC can assist employers with identifying approved training pathways and local education partners, design and set up earn-and-learn programs, connect with local training providers and workforce partners, apply for the incentive and navigate the milestone process, manage milestone disbursement requests, and identify resources for launching registered apprenticeship programs.
The event Monday was among seven similar announcements across the state. To be eligible, companies must be located in Ohio, operate in a JobsOhio targeted industries sector, and pay participating workers a minimum of $20 per hour. Ohio employers can apply at jobsohio.com/path.
YSU President Bill Johnson said that the region and state need to be competitive in an intense global market. The Excellence Training Center, he noted, was designed for precisely the type of program that was announced this morning.
“When I talk to employers, many of them who we partner with, others that we’re trying to partner with, they all have the same story,” he said. “Finding the workforce, finding the skilled technician.”
Johnson said it was important to educate young people about what their role in the next generation workforce will be, whether it’s on an advanced factory floor or performing problem-solving research. “At YSU, that’s what we’re about.”
Other regional training opportunities that can serve the new program include the Lake to River region’s career and technical centers, said John Zehentbauer, superintendent of the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center. These also include Choffin Career and Technical Center in Youngstown, the Trumbull County Career Center in Champion, the Columbiana County Career and Technical Center in Salem, and the Ashtabula County Technical and Career Campus in Jefferson.
“JobsOhio’s technician earn-to-learn incentive gives us another tool to prepare Ohioans for rewarding, family sustaining careers,” Zehentbauer said, noting the level of qualified instructors at the region’s universities and career and tech centers. “The Lake to River region is ready.”
The new program, he noted, is vital to support industries in the region such as advanced manufacturing, information technology, energy, chemicals, automotive, and other emerging industries.
“Ohio’s talent pipeline is an essential focus of a statewide economic strategy,” said JobsOhio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef in a statement. “The JobsOhio Technician Path incentive program puts that strategy into action. As companies consider growth in Ohio, the availability of technical talent represents a large part of that evaluation, and the incentive helps ensure we can continue to win.
Pictured at top: Alex Hertzer, Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition; Dani Robbins, CEO, Lake to River; Cris Pinter, Novelis; Bill Johnson, Youngstown State University; John Zehentbauer, Mahoning County Career and Technical Center.