State funding to local areas will help employers recruit skilled workers
Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) Director Matt Damschroder Friday kicked off National Workforce Development Month by announcing that Ohio’s 20 local workforce development areas will receive nearly $4.5 million over the next 12 months to help employers meet their workforce needs.
All 20 areas submitted proposals, to fund a wide range of activities. The funds must be spent by June 30, 2024.
“We encouraged local areas to be innovative in their proposals, and they were,” Damschroder said. “One area is planning services to help businesses build a more diverse workforce. Another is creating a transportation program to help individuals reach jobs not on the bus line. We’re impressed already and can’t wait to see the results.”
Below are the areas that will receive Business Resource Network grants, the counties they include, their award amounts and some examples of how they plan to use the funding:
Area 1 – Adams, Brown, Pike and Scioto Counties – $220,000 (outreach, staffing).
Area 2 – Medina and Summit Counties – $356,920 (staffing, transportation services).
Area 3 – Cuyahoga County – $125,000 (business intelligence).
Area 4 – Lorain County – $212,416 (community and professional development).
Area 5 – Lake County – $175,000 (outreach, technology, and career exploration services).
Area 6 – Stark and Tuscarawas Counties – $193,750 (outreach, job fairs, career exploration services).
Area 7 – 43 Counties – $1,134,000 (outreach).
Area 8 – Auglaize, Hardin, Mercer, and Van Wert Counties – $190,000 (outreach, career exploration services).
Area 9 – Lucas County – $81,752 (outreach).
Area 10 – Crawford and Richland Counties – $99,998 (outreach, website, data tracking, project management).
Area 11 – Franklin County – $414,000 (outreach, diversity business incubator, career exploration and employment preparation services).
Area 12 – Butler, Clermont, and Warren Counties – $210,000 (outreach, job fairs, staff training).
Area 13 – Hamilton County – $100,000 (training).
Area 14 – Athens, Meigs, and Perry Counties – $167,450 (outreach, job fairs).
Area 15 – Monroe, Morgan, Noble, and Washington Counties – $178,200 (outreach, events, staff training).
Area 16 – Belmont, Carroll, Harrison, and Jefferson Counties – $120,454 (outreach).
Area 17 – Columbiana and Mahoning Counties – $47,610 (outreach, staff training).
Area 18 – Trumbull – $66,500 (outreach).
Area 19 – Ashtabula, Geauga, and Portage Counties – $200,000 (staff, training, technology, job fairs).
Area 20 – Fairfield, Hocking, Pickaway, Ross, and Vinton Counties – $200,000 (transportation, outreach, advanced manufacturing and health care pre-apprenticeships).
For more information on the above local projects, please contact your local workforce development board director.
Local workforce development areas share similar geographic, industrial, educational and other regional economic factors. They help oversee local OhioMeansJobs Centers, which offer a variety of free employment services for Ohioans looking for work and employers seeking workers.
Every county in Ohio has an OhioMeansJobs Center. To find the center near you, go to https://jfs.ohio.gov/about/local-agencies-directory/local-agencies-dire… or visit OhioMeansJobs.com and select “FIND A JOB CENTER” at the bottom of the page.