According to the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce, 64 percent of Ohio jobs in 2020 will require postsecondary degrees or credentials. That is a significant number. It seems that more and more jobs do not rely on “fresh out of high school” workers anymore. Employers are continually looking for qualified, well-trained employees and are having a hard time finding them. In fact, the Georgetown Center continues by noting that by 2025, Ohio will need to produce an estimated1.7 million more adults with high quality, postsecondary certificates or degrees.
In recognizing this trend, five years ago Ohio Governor John Kasich created the Governor’s Office for Workforce Transformation (OWT) and the Governor’s Executive Workforce Board, comprising business leaders and workforce development stakeholders, to guide the OWT’s work and ensure that business needs are at the forefront of any improvements to the system. The goal of the new office is to identify ways to prepare and continuously retrain Ohioans of all ages for the jobs of today and tomorrow.
Employers need workers with specific knowledge and skills and are having a very difficult time finding them. It is up to the state’s educational institutions to provide this training and Terra State Community College is up to task.
It is a simple matter of supply and demand: Employers seek workers with specific knowledge, skills and competencies of value in the marketplace; unfortunately, employers tell us, many job seekers lack those skills. This is true for large numbers of job seekers entering the workforce, incumbent workers seeking to advance in their careers, and displaced workers whose skills may be outdated. Terra State Community College has accepted the challenge and is leading the way in solving the workforce training issue.
The Kern Center for Business and Industry Training at Terra State Community College offers numerous options for local businesses to collaborate with the college in ensuring their workforce has the necessary skills and training to help their organizations succeed. One such option is customized training. Recently, Toledo Mold and Die (TMD) came to the Kern Center because their maintenance staff needed training in electrical work. We were able to work with TMD to create a course that met their and their employees need for success.
The Kern Center also offers public workshops in which businesses enroll students in classes held at their facilities, but are taught by Terra State instructors. A shining example of this type of workforce development is the State Tested Nurse Aide (STNA) program. Vanguard-Sentinel Career and Technology Centers allows the use of their facilities for an 80-hour class. Approximately thirty students will take advantage of this program.
Terra State is prepared to continue its growth and adapt our programs and courses to make sure our workforce has access to all avenues for learning. Terra State Community College is the leader in northern Ohio in ensuring our workers are ready to contribute to the success of our region.
Presidential Blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.