Plenary and keynote sessions at the annual Workforce Summit focused on preparing industry for an evolving workforce landscape and strengthening statewide alignment. AI strategist, Todd McLees, opened with “Building AI Agility — Competing and Thriving in the New Economy,” offering practical guidance on using AI to reduce waste, accelerate decision-making, improve safety, and build organizational agility — the real advantage in an AI-driven era. His message emphasized the importance of ongoing learning and team empowerment.

Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel followed with an energizing keynote underscoring Ohio’s Manufacturing Workforce Blueprint, the unified strategy guiding collaboration among manufacturers, educators, and workforce partners to grow talent pipelines and expand opportunity. His remarks highlighted the continued need for coordinated action statewide.

The afternoon plenary, “Tackling the Technician Shortage — A Bold, Manufacturer-Led Strategy for Ohio,” showcased manufacturers directly involved in designing a scalable earn-and-learn technician model with the OMA, Accenture and the Ohio Manufacturing Talent Partnership to address statewide demand and strengthen workforce competitiveness.

Opt in to the Workforce Community, and stay engaged as these strategies continue to scale — and help shape the future of Ohio’s manufacturing workforce. 11/6/2025