News and Analysis
Study: Toledo, Cleveland Among Cities With Largest Jumps in Unemployment
June 5, 2020A new study by personal finance website WalletHub.com finds Toledo and Cleveland to be among the U.S. cities with the largest increases in unemployment due to COVID-19. Toledo was 11th and Cleveland was 12th, while Akron was 65th, Columbus 81st, and Cincinnati 95th. The comparison of 180 cities is based on three key metrics, including the change of each city’s unemployment rate compared to April 2019 and January 2020. 6/4/2020
Reminder: TechCred Applications Now Being Accepted
June 5, 2020Employers that are interested in participating in Ohio’s TechCred program have a new opportunity to apply for funding to upskill their employees. The new application period opened June 1 and runs through June 30. Employers can receive up to $2,000 for each current or incoming employee, and up to $30,000 in total per round. Businesses of all sizes are eligible.
Interested? Check out this one-pager we’ve put together for OMA members. 6/5/2020
Next Funding Round for TechCred Announced; Application Period Begins June 1
May 29, 2020This week, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted announced that Ohio’s TechCred program — which reimburses employers that upskill current and incoming employees — will extend its focus to help unemployed individuals earn industry-recognized credentials. This will be beneficial for manufacturers.
The lieutenant governor also announced that the next TechCred application period (Round 4 of funding) begins Monday, June 1, and will run through June 30. More than 400 of the credentials approved for the program can be earned online.
In the last funding round (Round 3), which ended in late March 2020, 150 Ohio employers were approved for TechCred reimbursement. Manufacturers comprised the largest industry group of both applicants and awardees. So far, a total of 500 Ohio employers have been approved for reimbursement, resulting in up to 4,232 credentials for Ohioans.
To support the changing needs of businesses and workers during COVID-19, several changes have been made to TechCred. Those changes, which include granting more time for employers to use previously awarded TechCred reimbursements, are described in this press release. 5/29/2020
Ohio Has Seen More Than 1.25 Million Initial Jobless Claims Since Mid-March
May 29, 2020For the week ending May 23, Ohio reported 42,082 initial unemployment claims. The number of initial jobless claims filed in Ohio over the last 10 weeks (1,257,838) is more than the combined total of those filed during the last three years. The state has now distributed more than $3.1 billion to more than 644,000 unemployment claimants.
Nationwide, the number of workers seeking jobless benefits fell for an eighth straight week last week, but a record 40.7 million people have filed claims since March 21. 5/28/2020
Study: Ohio Among States With Biggest Increases in Unemployment Due to COVID-19
May 29, 2020A new comparison by personal finance website WalletHub.com finds Ohio is among the states hit hardest by coronavirus-related unemployment. The Buckeye State had the nation’s fifth highest unemployment rate last month and experienced a 389% increase in unemployment from April 2019 to April 2020 — the 13th largest jump nationwide. But that figure is dwarfed compared to Hawaii’s 765% or Nevada’s 608% unemployment expansions over the same time period. 5/26/2020
What’s Ahead for the Ohio TechCred Program?
May 22, 2020The Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation is determining an appropriate path forward for the Ohio TechCred program as a result of COVID-19, including a recommendation that only online trainings be eligible for reimbursement.
TechCred helps Ohioans learn new skills and helps employers build a stronger workforce with the skills needed in a technology-infused economy. These technology-focused credentials take a year or less to complete and prepare current and future employees for the technology jobs Ohio employers need. Businesses that submit successful applications will be reimbursed, up to $2,000 per credential, when current or prospective employees complete technology-focused credentials.
The application period for Round 3 of the program ended March 31, and businesses will be notified soon if their applications were accepted. An announcement about the opening of Round 4 is coming. For more information, visit this website. 5/15/2020
On-Demand Webinar: Veterans in Your Workforce Pipeline
May 22, 2020During this webinar, you will hear from the team at the Ohio Department of Veterans Services (ODVS) Workforce Program, which provides outreach services to help employers more readily recruit and retain veterans as employees.
The presentation includes information on using the GI Bill to support your veteran-employees’ training and earn-and-learn opportunities, as well as how manufacturing employers can partner with ODVS to hire and train veterans.
Click here to access the content; this webinar was recorded this week. 5/20/2020
Stackable Credentials: How is Ohio Faring?
May 22, 2020Stackable credential programs—that is, programs that facilitate students’ ability to earn multiple post-secondary certificates or degrees—have been a priority for Ohio, which has a long history of legislation, state and regional initiatives, and institution-led efforts to build more-effective pathways to address the needs of employers and students.
To assess progress and inform ongoing efforts to scale stackable credentials, the Ohio Department of Higher Education and the RAND Corporation established a research partnership.
Among their findings: Between the 2004–2005 and 2012–2013 academic years, the number of certificate-earners doubled in health care and manufacturing and engineering technology fields. Read more. 5/21/2020
May 20 Webinar: Hiring Veterans
May 15, 2020On Wednesday, May 20, from 10-11 a.m. (ET), the OMA will host a webinar entitled “The Value of Veterans in Your Talent Pipeline.” This one-hour event will feature our partners from the Ohio Department of Veterans Services. For details, click here. 5/14/2020
U.S. Labor Department Launches Application Portal for Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Standards
May 15, 2020This week, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced the launch of its Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Program (IRAP) Standards Recognition Entities (SREs) online application, just as the IRAP rule went into effect. IRAPs are defined as “high-quality apprenticeship programs recognized by third-party entities,” under standards established by DOL’s final rule. 5/13/2020