For continued business growth in Ohio, it is important that training providers, educators, and workforce professionals know the future hiring needs of employers. Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted are encouraging Ohio businesses to participate in this year’s In-Demand Jobs Survey to provide feedback on the state’s In-Demand Jobs List, which helps drive the state and federal investments in our workforce.

The survey is open to all registered Ohio businesses, giving small and large businesses alike the opportunity to have a voice in how Ohio prepares people for the current workforce. A top priority remains to maintain an accurate and useful In-Demand Jobs List, and to do that, we need your help. Your feedback will directly shape Ohio's workforce priorities.

Please email workforce@owt.ohio.gov with questions or feedback on the In-Demand Jobs Survey.

Thank you in advance for your participation in shaping Ohio's In-Demand Jobs List.

On Sept. 9, 2021, the Ohio Department of Education shared the following press release:

Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted, Director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation (OWT), announced the launch of a new Fiber Optic Technician program at Tri-County Career Center in Nelsonville, Ohio. Fiber Optic Technicians perform functions relating to the deployment and operation of a fiber-optic network. The announcement is part of a larger effort launched today through OWT and BroadbandOhio to grow the workforce needed to expand broadband access and 5G.

The “Strengthening Ohio’s Broadband & 5G Workforce” Strategy underscores the significant public and private investments being made in broadband and 5G at the state and federal level, which in turn is expected to create tens of thousands of jobs in Ohio over the next decade. In an effort to ensure that Ohio has a skilled and prepared workforce to fill these kinds of jobs, the strategy outlines a plan for increasing broadband industry career awareness and creating more training and education programs in the state.

“In Ohio and across the nation there is a sense of urgency to expand high-speed internet, but you can’t expand the infrastructure without a workforce to build it,” said Lt. Governor Husted. “One way we are building that workforce in Ohio is through the innovative Fiber Optic Technician program at Tri-County Career Center, where you can earn the skills and certificates in as little as six and a half weeks and start a new career that pays well and provides long-term stability.”

Lt. Governor Husted traveled to Tri-County Career Center in Athens County to promote the Fiber Optic Technician program, which is one of only four Fiber Optic Association (FOA) approved programs in the state. Fiber Optic Technicians perform functions relating to the deployment and operation of a fiber-optic network. This primarily includes splicing and installation of fiber. Splicing is the physical skill of using a fusion splicing machine to melt two separate fiber-optic strands together in high-precision. This is often done hundreds of times to connect two large fiber-optic cables together, as well as when additional customers are added to a network.

The State of Ohio provided $30,000 to purchase equipment and the tools needed to launch this program and worked with the industry to find an instructor. Additionally, up to $10,000 of the $30,000 grant may be used for tuition assistance to reduce the cost for prospective students.

“Tri-County is excited for this awesome opportunity to work with the state and Horizon to bring Broadband training to Southeastern Ohio which will provide job opportunities for our local residents,” said Connie Altier, Superintendent of the Tri-County Career Center. “The opportunities for them are so promising!

The strategy announced today addresses three key issues:

• Increasing broadband industry career awareness by exposing middle school and high school students to the industry through curriculum and internships
• Developing and supporting more education and training programs to educate and train Ohioans (similar to the Fiber Optic Technician program at Tri-County Career Center)
• Capitalizing on state and federal funding programs, like TechCred and WIOA, to help finance the education and training that will bring to market the talent supply needed for the broadband and 5G industry in Ohio

“Horizon embraces unique and innovative public-private partnerships with a commitment to driving fiber broadband technology throughout the state,” said Brian Riley, Senior Vice President of Operations for Horizon. “As a rapidly growing company in this industry, we understand the staffing challenges. That is why we believe so strongly in our partnership with the State and TCCC to help grow the talent pool by training and developing candidates.”

“Our country is on the verge of investing tens of billions of dollars into broadband and communications infrastructure, but without significant investments in career and technical training programs, we may not have enough communications workers to carry out mandates in federal and state broadband programs," said Todd Schlekeway, President and CEO of NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association. "Under the leadership of Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted, Ohio is addressing this critical workforce problem and the programs being developed in Ohio will serve as a model for other states. NATE commends the State of Ohio for its leadership and we look forward to working together to build a pipeline of safe and efficient tower technicians who can deploy broadband to rural, unserved, and underserved communities.”

“As the FCC's BDAC report highlighted, there is a mismatch between workforce skills and the needs of the industry,” said Tim House, Executive Vice President of the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA). “The full deployment of the infrastructure needed for 5G will require increased investment in workforce training and reskilling. We look forward to working with Lt. Governor Husted to help him fulfill his vision, to prepare Ohioans for jobs building the next generation of 5G broadband infrastructure and to transform the workforce system so that everyone has an opportunity to thrive in this evolving digital economy.”

The “Strengthening Ohio’s Broadband & 5G Workforce” Strategy can be found on the BroadbandOhio website. Here is a PDF version of the 5G Workforce Strategy Document.

Learn more about the Fiber Optic Technician program by visiting https://www.tricountyhightech.com/Content/fiber-tech.

The Ohio ACTE Fall Leadership & Empowerment Meeting will take place Sept. 24 from 9am-3pm at West Shore Career Tech at Lakewood High School in Lakewood with networking Sept. 23.  Click here for agenda, details and to register.  This meeting is FREE for organizational members and Division leaders.

The topic for this year's event is "rebuilding bigger and better after a pandemic." The Leadership & Empowerment Meeting is planned by the Ohio ACTE President, Bill Dimascio,  and focuses on timely career-tech and leadership topics. Speakers for this year's meeting include Jacob Duritsky with Team NEO who will give an update on the economic outlook for Ohio; Joel Clark with tradeschool.com who will share new perspectives on CTE; and Kent Zeman, Treasurer for Lakewood City Schools. The day will also include West Shore program highlights and tours.

There is still time to register but space is limited, so register today! It is free to attend for division leaders, organizational affiliate members, and Shoemaker Institute participants. The cost for others to attend is $75 for Ohio ACTE members and $95 for non-members.

Sponsor:

CareerSafe has generously sponsored the event. More information and the registration link can be found here.

The Ohio Department of Education has quality, free content for family members to better engage with their student learners, called INFOhio.

These resources play an integral part in building family engagement in schools by offering equitable resources and services to create opportunities for success for all Ohio communities, schools and families.

The Ohio Department of Education, in partnership with the Educational Service Centers of Northeast and Central Ohio, and the Building Bridges to Careers Network will facilitate virtual Career-Readiness Leaders Meetups again this school year. 

The first meetup of the 2021 school year will take place on Sept. 14 at 2:30 p.m. and will focus on introducing the Career Connections Framework. More information about these meetups can be found here.

The Ohio Department of Education has put out resources for students, teachers, and community members to celebrate Manufacturing Day on Oct. 1. 

CreatorsWanted.org is the online host for all resources related to Manufacturing Day, which empowers manufacturers to come together to address their collective challenges so they can help their communities and future generations thrive and open their doors to students and educators.

In Ohio, current events planned for Oct. 1 include:

• Sandusky County THINK Manufacturing Career Showcase - Fremont, OH
• Custom Rubber Corporation Open House - Cleveland, OH
• Jergens Factory Tour - Cleveland, OH
• Ventra Salem Hiring and Manufacturing Expo - Salem, OH
• Mansfield Engineered Components Student Tours - Mansfield, OH
• Monti, Inc. Tour - Cincinnati, OH
• Cincinnati Incorporated Tour and Machine Presentation - Cincinnati, OH
• McGregor Metalworking Companies Tour & Meet and Greet - Springfield, OH
• Bitec Open House - Dayton, OH
• Dysinger, Inc. Open House and Tours - Dayton, OH
• FC Industries School Tours - Dayton, OH
• Projects Unlimited Tour and Presentation - Dayton, OH
• NOV Chemineer Open House - Dayton, OH
• Staub Manufacturing Learning Event - Dayton, OH
• Phillips Tube Group Plant Tours - Middletown, OH
• Wurth Electronics Tour - Centerville, OH
• Detailed Machining Open House - Sidney, OH
• Crown Equipment Corporation Student Open House - New Bremen, OH
• Washington County Career Center Manufacturing Your Future Event - Marietta, OH

You can find further details about these events and more here.

Manufacturing Day events give students, families and educators a chance to see what modern manufacturing careers are like and understand the importance of this industry. The ODE has further information and resources about the day here.

The Ohio Department of Education opened nominations for the RISE Awards on Sept. 1.

The RISE Awards honor classified school employees who provide exemplary service. Nominations will be accepted from Sept. 1-30.

More information about the award, along with the nomination form, can be found on the ODE Website.

Tom Burden, Tri Star Career Tech graduate, founder and inventor of the Grypmat as well as successful Shark Tank entrepreneur,  supports CTE students through generous donations of Grypmats for students use in the programs. 

The invention of the Grypmat led Tom to appear on Shark Tank in 2017 and make a deal with Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, and Richard Branson. He is also a former Air Force Mechanic, Tri-Star Career Compact alumnus, and was the 2019 Ohio ACTE Annual Conference Keynote Speaker.

Tom continues to give back to the career-tech community in so many ways - not just by donating Grypmats for students and educators to use, but by being an advocate for career-tech fields. The community is grateful for all of his contributions and continued commitment to career-tech education!

Students at Belmont-Harrison Career Center using a Grypmat donated by Tom Burden

Ohio Department of Higher Ed Chancellor Randy Gardner and ODE Superintendent Paolo DeMaria jointly released "FAFSA 21" in spring 2021 in order to help boost FAFSA completion rates. Just over one million dollars was awarded among 25 recipients, including college access groups, educational service centers, and colleges and universities, in order to support this year's graduating students in completing their FAFSA. As the FAFSA 21 funding concludes, the awardees have shared some of the best practices they have discovered over the last few months:

• Mobile vans that travel to families
• Using community events & setting up FAFSA filing stations, including laptops
• Leveraging the use of libraries
• Sending individual emails from counselors
• Using data to guide outreach
• Combining FAFSA support with incentives such as free tax filing

FAFSA 22

The Chancellor and Superintendent are pleased to announce the new FAFSA 22 Funding Opportunity. Through this opportunity, $1.8 million dollars from Governor’s Emergency Education Relief funds will be made available to college-and-credential-attainment-focused nonprofits and Educational Service Center organizations to increase FAFSA completion rates during the 2021-22 school year. Applications are due no later than August 20, 2021. Please find additional information HERE.

FAFSA IS FOR YOU

A new website exists for Ohio students and families seeking FAFSA information; please feel free to share. Soon, counselors and others working on FAFSA completion will also find a downloadable toolkit of marketing materials that are free to use, including social media images and printable posters. That toolkit is under construction and will be available shortly, but the website is live now! Please visit our new website HERE.