Workforce Management

Reduce Tax Liability by Hiring Untapped Talent

In Ohio, the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) program provides tax incentives to employers that hire individuals from one of 10 target groups — including veterans and those with a felony conviction or who were released from a correctional facility within the previous year.

Credits are based on the target group and can range from $1,200 up to $9,600. Applications for the WOTC program must be submitted within 28 days of the hire date. Learn more via Ohio Means Jobs, or contact the Ohio Means Jobs staff.1/25/2024

More IMAP Training Providers Announced

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted this week announced a $6.2 million expansion of the Individual Micro-Credential Assistance Program (IMAP) to offer more technology-focused education. Fifteen training providers across Ohio will be tasked with ensuring that more individuals can earn tech-focused credentials. 1/25/2024

Attend Your Regional ISP Gatherings

Sector partnerships are widely recognized as a proven strategy for meeting the employment and skill needs of workers and employers.

Across Ohio, OMA-endorsed industry sector partnerships (ISPs) host meetings throughout the year for manufacturer members and prospective members to spotlight innovations in manufacturing training and regional workforce development.

One example: In Northeast Ohio, the Alliance for Working Together (AWT) will hold its annual meeting Feb. 16. in Mentor. Lydia Mihalik, director of the Ohio Department of Development, will be the keynote speaker. OMA members from Ashtabula, Geauga, or Lake counties are encouraged to attend this event to connect with peers and witness the impact of these strategic partnerships. 1/25/2024

WorkAdvance Finds Success in NW Ohio

Northwest Ohio’s Advanced Manufacturing Consortium (AMC) — an OMA-endorsed industry sector partnership — and OMA member Spangler Candy Company have launched an innovative WorkAdvance pilot program.

Under the program, participants are pre-hired and paid to attend two weeks of manufacturing training, leading to immediate post-training employment. This approach, supported by the OMA and Ohio’s Good Jobs Challenge, demonstrates a successful model for fast-tracked workforce development.

Read about this success story, then consider how your business can collaborate with your local ISP on similar initiatives. 1/17/2024

Miami University Plans $19M Manufacturing Hub

Miami University, an OMA Connections Partner, is pursuing a $19 million advanced manufacturing hub in partnership with Butler Tech to serve the needs of businesses statewide. The hub will be located on Miami’s Hamilton campus. Construction is expected to begin in Q2 2024 and finish by August 2025, reports say. 1/18/2024

Ohio’s MEP Internship: Build Your Talent Pipeline

The Ohio’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) internship program can help with talent development by pairing high school and trade school students with manufacturers.

An estimated 80% of MEP interns are offered full-time employment by the end of their internship. At the same time, employers are reimbursed 50% (up to $1,500) of a student intern’s wages. For questions, contact your regional MEP partner or email the Ohio Department of Development. 1/16/2024

New Records for National Apprenticeship Week

National Apprenticeship Week set new participation records in November 2023 with 1,400 events and 500,000 attendees. Ohio was among the states with the most Apprenticeship Week events, according to this U.S. Department of Labor report, which highlights efforts to expand apprenticeships for youth, under-represented communities, women, and veterans. 1/17/2024

Ohio Bill Would Pay Students to Go to School

Two Ohio lawmakers want to pay students to go to school and to graduate, calling chronic absenteeism an education emergency, reports say.

House Bill 348 would spend $1.5 million in taxpayer funds to establish a pilot program to pay kindergarten through ninth-grade students $500 a year to attend school, while also paying those who graduate from high school $250, with higher amounts going to students with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher. 1/18/2024

Second-Chance Hiring Helps Grow Manufacturing Talent

Spectrum News 1 recently aired this story on second-chance hiring efforts in Ohio manufacturing. It features Darek Givens, who was hired by Nehemiah Manufacturing Company in Cincinnati after spending 10 years in prison.

Gov. Mike DeWine told Spectrum News there are 18,000 more people like Givens who will soon be looking for jobs. These returning citizens are part of the untapped talent pool being developed via Ohio’s “Good Jobs Challenge” grant, which is being used to help local industry sector partnerships (ISPs) continue their work to implement workforce solutions.

Manufacturers willing to consider second-chance hiring should connect with their local OMA-endorsed ISPs. 1/10/2024

Strategies to Build a Multi-Generational Workforce

In his recent editorial at Forbes.com, Ethan Karp — president and CEO of MAGNET, an OMA Connections Partner and Northeast Ohio’s MEP — provides four keys to connecting generations in today’s workplace.

“With 10,000 Boomers reaching retirement age every day, the time is now to begin instituting strategies to ensure you’ll have the talent capacity and pipeline to meet the future with the full power and capabilities of all four generations,” Karp writes. 1/8/2024