Recently, Lt. Governor Tressel brought together business, education, and community leaders from northeast Ohio for a roundtable discussion at Cleveland State University (CSU) on the region’s workforce strengths and its needs.

“Governor DeWine has tasked me with getting out into our communities across the state and having these kinds of conversations with the local leaders who know their region best,” said Lt. Governor Tressel. “We know that different parts of our state are great at different things and have unique workforce needs. So, gathering insights from local business and education leaders is a key first step in the development of Ohio’s Workforce Playbook.”

At Governor Mike DeWine’s State of the State Address earlier in March, the Governor announced that Lt. Governor Tressel would lead the administration’s effort to create Ohio’s Workforce Playbook.

Thanks to the state’s targeted work to attract economic development projects into local communities, Ohio has added more than 81,000 private sector jobs in the past six years. Further, at least 15,000 additional jobs are coming to Ohio through projects that are currently in development.

“We have the job opportunities in Ohio right now for our people, our communities, and the entire state to reach its full potential,” said Lt. Governor Tressel. “Now we need to work together as a team to create pathways for our students to get the training and the education they need to fill these jobs. By linking our students with these in-demand job opportunities, we will strengthen our state’s workforce for years to come.”

By examining the needs and circumstances of Ohio’s various regions, Ohio’s Workforce Playbook will develop a plan to retain existing talent, recruit new talent to Ohio, and rally Ohio’s existing workforce to greater productivity.

The roundtable included representatives from CSU, major employers, and industry leaders across engineering, healthcare, and technology fields. Participants discussed workforce challenges, training needs, and strategies for strengthening Ohio’s talent pipeline.

During his visit, Lt. Governor Tressel joined CSU President Laura Bloomberg for a tour of CSU’s Washkewicz College of Engineering. The Lt. Governor met with students and learned about the college’s key programs, as well as their plans for a Biomedical complex and a new Construction Management Program.

“As part of CSU’s strategic plan, we are focused on strengthening our relationships with industry and community partners to prepare our students for in-demand career fields,” said CSU President Laura Bloomberg. “We were honored to have the opportunity to show Lt. Governor Tressel the initiatives we have in place, particularly in engineering and health fields, that allow both our students and northeast Ohio to thrive.”

The tour also included a visit to the Dan T. Moore MakerSpace, housed in Washkewicz Hall, – an innovation and design lab for the CSU community that provides hands-on fabrication equipment for working with metal, wood, and plastic – and where today’s roundtable discussion was held.

During the roundtable, CSU’s “Earn and Learn” program, which integrates classroom learning with real-world industry experience, was highlighted as a model for preparing students for in-demand careers.

These programs and initiatives at CSU are helping achieve one of Ohio’s top workforce goals: keeping more of our college students in the state as they join the workforce. CSU ranks among the top public universities in the state in this regard. One year after graduation, 88.7% of CSU bachelor's degree earners are employed in Ohio, and five years after graduation, 80.6% of CSU bachelor's degree earners are employed in Ohio.