Lt. Governor Tressel continues discussion on workforce with visit to Cincinnati State
Lt. Governor Jim Tressel this week brought together business, education and community leaders from southwest Ohio for a roundtable discussion on the region’s workforce strengths and its needs.
Held at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, the roundtable marked the latest stop in the Lt. Governor’s ongoing series of community conversations to inform the development of Ohio’s Workforce Playbook.
“As we continue to travel the state, we’re seeing incredible opportunities emerging in every corner of Ohio, and Cincinnati State is a prime example of the work being done to prepare our workforce to fill those jobs,” said Lt. Governor Tressel. “The partnerships they’ve built with local employers and the training programs they’ve developed are exactly what we need to get more Ohioans into high-demand careers. Our Workforce Playbook will help us amplify and expand these efforts, ensuring that every region in Ohio is equipped to meet the moment.”
Thanks to the state’s targeted work to attract economic development projects into local communities, Ohio has added more than 81,000 private sector jobs in the past six years. Further, at least 15,000 additional jobs are coming to Ohio through projects that are currently in development.
Governor Mike DeWine recently announced that Lt. Governor Tressel would lead the administration’s effort to ensure the state’s workforce is prepared to fill these jobs by creating Ohio's Workforce Playbook. By examining the needs and circumstances of Ohio’s various regions, the playbook will establish a plan to retain existing talent, recruit new talent to Ohio and rally Ohio’s existing workforce to greater productivity.
During the roundtable, representatives from Cincinnati State and major employers discussed workforce needs in southwest Ohio and strategies for strengthening Ohio’s talent pipeline. The college specifically highlighted their automotive services and aviation maintenance programs.
“We were so pleased to host Lt. Governor Tressel at Cincinnati State,” said Monica Posey, President of Cincinnati State. “His workforce emphasis is in wonderful alignment with our efforts. He listened and engaged as we shared our needs to fund facility renovations and increase our ability to recruit and educate more students and meet employer career gaps.”
Following the roundtable, Lt. Governor Tressel joined President Posey for a tour to see the college’s advanced manufacturing and mechanical engineering programs in action. The tour also included a stop at Cincinnati State’s Health Simulation Lab.
Over the past decade, Cincinnati State has received over $3.5 million in state support for its training programs through several rounds of RAPIDS and Super RAPIDS grants – which help universities, community colleges, and career technical centers purchase state-of-the-art equipment tailored to regional workforce needs.
At Cincinnati State, these grants have been used to purchase lab equipment for students preparing for careers in advanced manufacturing, robotics, building automation, cybersecurity, 5G/broadband, building information modeling, electronic engineering and healthcare.
Lt. Governor Tressel’s visit to Cincinnati State marked his latest regional workforce discussion across the state. Previous events have been held at Cleveland State University, Wright State University, the University of Rio Grande/Rio Grande Community College, at Stewart Glapat in Zanesville, North Central State College’s Kehoe Center, Youngstown State University and Sinclair Community College.
Similar community discussions will continue to take place to help inform the development of Ohio’s Workforce Playbook.
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