MANSFIELD — There’s a disconnect between employers and potential employees in Ohio, but Ryan Burgess (Director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation) says a culture of continuous education can bridge the gap.
Burgess served as the keynote speaker at the Mansfield Richland Area Educational Foundation’s Economic Club luncheon Friday at the Life Celebration Reception Center, 129 S. Main St. He discussed how to build Ohio’s future workforce.
“If you think that you’re going to graduate from high school or college and be done, you’re mistaken,” Burgess said during his presentation.
About 65 percent of secondary students are expected to work jobs that don’t yet exist, he noted. Just under 50 percent of jobs in the United States could be eliminated in a few years, according to the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation’s “Building Ohio’s Future Workforce” report.
“(But) I think everyone agrees that all our jobs are going to be impacted by these changes,” Burgess said.
In hopes of minimizing the “skills mismatch” between potential employees and employers, Burgess mentioned Ohio’s goal of having 65 percent of the state’s population attain more than a high school education, whether it be a four-year degree or a short-term skills program, by 2025. Currently, it stands at 43 percent.
“I think to hit that attainment goal, we need to address the population that hasn’t graduated high school,” Burgess said.
To do that, he thinks greater awareness about jobs, specifically ones that pay well, needs to be created. He sees this as a task driven by specific regions.
Also, Burgess says this message goes beyond education. Employers also look for soft skills including communication, teamwork and conflict resolution.
“Not every job requires a four-year degree,” Burgess said. “The best way to learn how to work is to work.”
He also mentioned “spatial mismatch” in Ohio, saying that there are “pockets of people” needing jobs in some areas, but the jobs they qualify for are located in different areas.
