As members of the NFIB/Ohio staff travel across the state visiting member businesses and attending Area Action Council meetings in our 20 locations, we often hear about the lack of a skilled worker pool to hire from, particularly in the manufacturing sector. Many members have shared with us they feel that they have good paying jobs available, yet they go unfilled as more and more young people look down on those jobs and feel they are pushed to attend college.
The Manufacturing Institute agrees with NFIB/Ohio members, they have identified 600,000 manufacturing jobs that are going unfilled nationally because employers can’t find workers with the skills they need. Additionally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 48 percent of college graduates are working in fields that don’t even require a college degree. Encouraging Ohioans to enter these in-demand career fields can put people to work.
We applaud Ohio Treasurer
Josh Mandel for launching a new effort called Ohio Strong to help recognize men and women in manufacturing and
the skilled trades. Hopefully that will encourage more people to pursue careers in these
fields and help our members fill vacancies in their small businesses.
The Ohio Strong program supports policies such as putting
shop class back in high schools and increasing access to vocational and
technical education programs. The
ultimate goal is to help inspire the young people of Ohio to enter these
critically important career fields that are the backbone of our economy where they can find good paying jobs and not create a mountain of debt.
OHIO STRONG AWARD
As
part of the Ohio Strong effort,
Treasurer Mandel seeks to recognize men and women throughout our state who are
excelling in careers in manufacturing and the skilled trades with an Ohio Strong Award. The office is seeking nominations from
business owners, floor managers, and co-workers so deserving individuals can be recognized with an Ohio Strong Award.
We encourage you to find more information or to
nominate someone in the skilled trades, possibly someone who is working in your small business, who is deserving of recognition for an Ohio Strong Award. Just visit: www.OhioTreasurer.gov/OhioStrong.
