ASHLAND, Ohio – The future of the workforce in Richland County and its surrounding areas was the focus of Thursday’s Workforce Alliance Summit at Ashland University.
The North Central Workforce Alliance of Ohio (NCWA) hosted a group of business leaders, educators, and government officials among others to discuss plans and priorities for workforce development in the region. It also brought in former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel to address the issue.
“It’s great because it brings business, education and government all under one roof,” said Greg Nickoli, superintendent of Pioneer Career & Technology Center. “Those are the three key players in filling that skills gap, and it gets us sitting and talking together and listening to what each other has to say.
“This allows us to meet the needs of the community as opposed to looking at just what we need as individual organizations.”
The NCWA was formed in 2015 by local business leaders to address their most common and pressing need: workforce. NCWA leadership recognized the need to take action as many businesses struggle to fill open positions at all skill levels.
Nickoli noted such a problem is reflected across the region.
“There’s an aging workforce that’s nearing retirement and there’s a skills gap for those folks who have recently graduated from high school that can’t be filled right now,” said Nickoli. “We’re looking at ways to not only encourage better education of parents and students as to what options are available in our area, but also what the pathways are to get there.”
The mission of the NCWA is to develop solutions to attract, hire, develop, and retain local talent across the following industries: agriculture, construction, heavy machinery, IT, manufacturing, medical, and other business sectors.
In addition to the keynote address and panel discussion addressing the challenge of skilled workforce shortages, all attendees participated in small breakout sessions to tackle key workforce issues and set the agenda for NCWA’s 2016 Action Plan.
Breakout session topics included soft skills and manufacturing readiness, credentials and career pathways, attraction and recruitment, and work-based learning.
“We’ve been having a lot of these conversations recently in Richland County both from employers and schools,” said Jodie Perry, president of the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce. “I have heard some good ideas and some things counties are doing to differentiate themselves. There’s a lot we can take back and implement in the short term.”
Jim Tressel, president of Youngstown State University and former head football coach at The Ohio State University, delivered the summit’s keynote address discussing workforce issues and best practices in talent development. Tressel’s speech was titled “Macte virtute!” – a Latin phrase meaning “increase excellence.”
“The only way you can compete on the highest stage is to increase your excellence,” said Tressel. “It’s something we’ve got to do every day – we’ve got to find ways to innovate; we’ve got to get students ready to compete, and they have to be creative and innovative.”
Tressel shared four questions he would ask himself during moments when he questioned whether he was on the right path; four questions he said had “everything to do” with workforce development and getting all “players” in the position they should be. The first question was, do you feel good about your connectedness?
“It’s an innate need for most humans,” he said. “Community is important … it’s critically important when creating a workforce environment; it’s the difference between reaching your potential or not.”
The second question was, do you have autonomy? Tressel stressed the importance of creating an environment where employees feel they are valued and have the freedom to do their jobs without being micromanaged.
“Otherwise that person will think, ‘I might as well not even try because every time I do something the boss says I’m wrong,” said Tressel. “They’re not going to reach their full potential.”
The third question Tressel asked was, do you feel good about how you feel? He touched on the importance of diet, exercise and getting enough rest in order to perform at optimal levels. The fourth question was, do you have things in perspective?
“A data-driven society affects your perspective, you can feel trapped when measurables directly affect your ups and downs,” said Tressel. “If I wasn’t a national championship coach, there’s a slim chance I’d be here today.”
The former coach jokingly shared that in order to keep his players at Ohio State in perspective, he would often remind them that of the 7 billion people on the planet, 6.8 billion people think football is soccer.
“So they’re not as important as they think they are,” said Tressel with a laugh.
Tressel also had the honor of presenting the NCWA Community Service Award to Dick Schafrath, retired Cleveland Browns offensive lineman, former Ohio State Senator, and author.
Tressel noted the happiest he’d seen Schafrath was the day he graduated from Ohio State on Aug. 27, 2006 at the age of 69 – almost 50 years after Schafrath left the university to become the second NFL draft pick and join the Cleveland Browns.
An emotional Schafrath emphasized the impact Ohio – especially Cleveland and Wooster – has had on his life, and how important the state’s future is to him. He also touted the value of a hard work ethic, which he learned firsthand playing football under coaching greats such as Woody Hayes and Paul Brown and earned him the nickname “The Mule.”
“Thank God I had a father who loved to work,” said Schafrath. “Today America is too lenient with children, they’re scared to see them out working and sweating and working for someone who demands a lot out of them. What you’re doing (at the workforce summit) today is the most gratifying thing I can think of for kids.”
