Too few Ohioans have the knowledge and skills required to compete for the in-demand jobs of today’s economy. That means more Ohioans must attain advanced education levels represented by high-value credentials and postsecondary degrees. In 2018, only 49.2 percent of Ohioans had earned a high-value credential or postsecondary degree – putting Ohio two points below the national average and ranking us 31 out of 50 states. According to economists, the ideal attainment rate to best position a state for competitive success is 65 percent.

Complete to Compete Ohio is a public-private coalition of more than 40 member organizations, including NFIB, from Ohio’s education and workforce systems, including employers, educators, and the leaders of state agencies, statewide associations, unions, philanthropies, and community organizations from across the state.

The coalition’s mission is to raise awareness about the importance of earning the high-value credentials and postsecondary degrees that Ohioans need to earn a living wage and close Ohio’s skills gap, coordinate and collaborate on efforts to increase attainment and provide technical assistance to other champions of attainment.

NFIB serves on the statewide Complete to Compete work-based learning group. The Complete to Compete Ohio attainment coalition – a statewide group of organizations dedicated to increasing educational attainment in Ohio – would like your business to complete a survey so the coalition can learn more about how your business promotes work-based learning as well as create a repository of resources that can help other businesses and students receive the benefits of work-based learning experiences. The coalition believes that once more businesses are engaged in work-based learning, Ohio’s workforce gap will shrink and our students will be better prepared to enter the workforce ready to start on day one.  

Please use this link to access the survey: Complete to Compete Ohio Survey. The survey should take no more than 20 minutes to complete. Please submit your responses to the survey by June 15, 2022, if possible. Contact Andy Patterson in the NFIB Ohio office with any questions at andy.patterson@nfib.org.