Workforce Management

Dec. 31 Deadline for Registered Apprenticeship Grant

ApprenticeOhio employer sponsors are eligible for a federal reimbursement grant through an apprenticeship expansion initiative. Employers can receive up to $2,500 per apprentice for up to 10 apprentices to help cover the cost of training and tool allowances.

Applications are being accepted here through Dec. 31. Applicants must have both a State of Ohio OH|ID and a federal Registered Apprenticeship ID. 12/13/2022

Filling the Workforce Void With Automation

For manufacturers struggling to fill openings, 2023 could be the year to utilize creative technological solutions, according to OMA Connections Partner HBK. In this insight, the firm says software advances and robotics are helping employers address the workforce void while reducing costs.

Another OMA Connections Partner, CliftonLarsonAllen, has made available this on-demand webinar to examine ways manufacturers can automate, accelerate, and enhance processes. 12/14/2022

What’s Worse Than the Perception of Dark, Dirty, and Dangerous?

“When manufacturing leaders talk about recruitment problems, they often complain that young people see factory work as dark, dirty and dangerous. … [B]ut a bigger issue is that people born in the past 30 years may have never seen any sort of manufacturing work in popular culture.”

That’s the conclusion of a recent column by IndustryWeek’s Robert Schoenberger. He notes there hasn’t been a major American movie to feature modern manufacturing in more than 20 years.

For a movie that portrays manufacturing as a provider of well-paying jobs and the lifeblood of a community, Schoenberger says you have to go back to 1986’s “Gung Ho,” which was partly filmed in Ohio. 12/12/2022

Hiring Gen Z: Pivoting to Attract Young Workers

Manufacturing Dive is currently running a series of stories to explore manufacturers’ efforts to attract and retain talent. On Dec. 1, the site published this story on how the industry is pivoting to attract workers who are 25 or younger.

Gen Z workers comprised only 8% of the manufacturing workforce in 2021. But experts say more employers are finding success in recruiting young talent by showcasing clear career paths, while also providing more flexibility and opportunities to learn on the job. 12/8/2022

Ohio Senate Passes K-12 Restructuring Bill

On Dec. 7, the Ohio Senate voted 22-7 to approve Senate Bill 178, which would transfer much of the power over education policymaking from the State Board of Education to a cabinet director appointed by the governor. (See the bill summary from the Legislative Service Commission.)

Specifically, SB 178 would create the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, headed by a gubernatorial appointee. The agency would have two divisions: one for K-12 education and one for workforce training. Gov. Mike DeWine supports the bill.

House Speaker Bob Cupp (R-Lima) has not yet committed to a vote on SB 178, according to Gongwer News Service. If the bill is not passed by the end of the year, it will need to be reintroduced in the next session, thereby resetting the legislative process. 12/8/2022

Miami University to Provide More Smart Manufacturing Courses

Miami University, an OMA Connections Partner, has been awarded a $308,750 grant from the Ohio Department of Higher Education to develop more course offerings in smart manufacturing, which combines additive manufacturing, robotics, and other technologies.

According to reports, Miami will purchase equipment with the grant to enhance smart manufacturing offerings on its main Oxford campus and regional schools in Hamilton and Middletown. 12/5/2022

Ohio Tax Credit for Hiring High School Students

Hiring students can help manufacturers boost their future talent pipeline. Moreover, Ohio employers that hire an eligible student (19 or younger) can receive a tax credit worth the lesser of $5,000 per employee or 15% of wages.

Businesses that want to take advantage of this credit for 2023 must complete an application between Jan. 1 and Feb. 1. For more, read this insight from Bricker & Eckler, the OMA’s general counsel. 12/7/2022

7 Steps to Boosting Retention Among On-Site Workers

Gallup has published this list of seven actions employers can take to address the engagement needs of on-site workers. Among the steps are: making work a place people want to be; flexing where and whenever possible; and getting the right managers in place. 12/7/2022

MVMC Offers On-the-Job Trainer Course

One of the steps to growing Ohio’s manufacturing talent pool is ensuring that workplace trainers are effective coaches.

The Mahoning Valley Manufacturing Coalition — an OMA-endorsed industry sector partnership — is offering a NIMS on-the-job trainer course in early 2023. Registration is open to new and experienced trainers. Email the MVMC’s Alex Hertzer or call (330) 219-3521 for details or to enroll.

Completion of the workshop will result in an on-the-job trainer certification — and the course is eligible for the Ohio Manufacturing Workforce Partnership’s $400 employer incentive program, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor Scaling Apprenticeship grant. 12/1/2022

Talent-Boosting Ideas for Manufacturers

With more than one-fifth of skilled manufacturing workers expected to retire by the end of 2025, OMA Connections Partner HBK has provided some ideas and solutions to attract and retain talent. Among the firm’s recommendations:

• Clearly communicate job descriptions and qualifications in job postings;
• Expand your search to include more than just manufacturing graduates from technical and vocational schools;
• Look for ways to attract and retain Baby Boomers; and
• Find ways to improve the perception of the industry at the local level.

Read all of HBK’s recommendations. 12/1/2022