It seems paradoxical—having thousands of unemployed workers along with thousands of unfilled jobs; however, that’s the situation Ohio is currently facing, and both political parties agree that this problem needs to be resolved.
Government officials concur that this issue stems primarily from a “skills gap,” which is the disparity between the skills needed for a job and the actual skills possessed by the employee. Meaning, although jobs are available, employers can’t find workers with the necessary skills for the job.
Informed about the skills gap on both a political and business perspective is State Representative Mark Romanchuk, owner of PR Machine Works in Ontario.
“There is no question that a skills gap exists,” Romanchuk said. Zeroing in on Richland County, Romanchuk said that the skills gap is affecting mainly manufacturing and industrial labor.
So what needs to be done to help close the gap?
“Recruitment,” he said. “We as industry, government, and academia must do a better job of explaining to students that getting a trade job is a viable career option. Right now, students are being told that the only way to be successful is by going to college, and that’s just not true.”
Romanchuk added that some of the problem with recruitment is tied to parents, who are often adamant about encouraging their children to pursue a college education, when that’s not always the best route for students.
He noted that many college graduates are burdened with school debt and that about half of them are unemployed or underemployed.
Students do not need to follow the typical track that most students follow: graduating from high school, attending college, and then pursuing a career. Instead, students can go to high school, get a career, and then go back to college if they wish, stated Romanchuk.
Referring to House Bills (HB) 1 and 2, Romanchuk stated that these bills help connect employers and job seekers and help make people aware of the opportunities available.
HB 1 rebranded the state’s patchwork of workforce centers, known as One-Stops, to connect centers directly with OhioMeansJobs.com, a website that is meant to help people search online for job openings within the state. And HB 2 requires individuals on unemployment insurance to make contact with the local One-Stop by the eighth week of receiving benefits.
While these bills don’t necessarily solve the skills gap, they serve as a method of connecting job seekers with employers, Romanchuk said.
Since 2005, the Richland County Commissioners have been working with workforce development and Job and Family Services to find solutions to the skills gap.
“I think in this area a lot of people would like to go back to work if they had the upgraded skills to perform the job that the employer wanted them to have,” said Commissioner Gary Utt.
He added, “We’ve taken a number of people who have a background in machine trades and sent them to one of the schools [North Central State College, Madison Adult Career Center, and Pioneer Career and Technology Center] for CNC [computer numerical control] training, because we need CNC operators.”
Also referring to North Central State College, Madison Adult Education, and Pioneer Career & Technology Center, Romanchuk stated, “There are quality students coming out of these entities; however, the problem is in quantity, not quality.” Again, he discussed the significance of recruitment and said, “We need to get more kids to pursue the trade jobs.”
To help bolster interest in trade professions, Romanchuk said he would like to emulate the German system, in which junior high students would be placed on one of two different tracks to pursue: college or trade profession.
U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) also weighed in on the skills gap issue, noting, “I’ve visited hundreds of businesses throughout Ohio over the past few years, and I have come away impressed with the quality of the research and products I see. But one thing I often hear is that companies often can’t find the skilled employees they need.”
In April of 2013, Portman and Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) introduced the Careers through Responsive, Efficient and Effective Retraining (CAREER) Act.
The CAREER Act proposes enhancing federal job training programs and providing higher education institutions with funds for training purposes.
Agreeing that a skills gap exists, political party counterpart, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) discussed a different approach to solving the issue: “A clusters-based job growth strategy for Ohio can help ensure our state’s economic competitiveness while reducing our unemployment rate. The SECTORS Act would enable Ohio industries like biotechnology, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing to continue to grow and flourish.”
The SECTORS Act would help dislocated workers train for high-tech jobs in their region. Brown introduced this legislation in July of 2013.
Residents and voters who need jobs or are parents who want to see their children succeed or are individuals considering changing jobs are encouraged to explore their options.
“We as industry, government, and academia must do a better job of explaining to students that getting a trade job is a viable career option. Right now, students are being told that the only way to be successful is by going to college, and that’s just not true,” said State Rep. Romanchuk.
