WASHINGTON, D.C. – New federal resources will help train more than 200 out-of-work Ohioans for careers in nursing. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced $4,989,080 in new U.S. Department of Labor funding for Ohio University in Athens.
“This funding will help Ohio University continue training workers for good-paying jobs in growing industries,” Brown said. “This program is win-win. By matching trained workers with local businesses, we ensure that Ohio industries have access to our state’s top-rate workforce and that out-of-work Ohioans find new opportunities.”
The funding will allow workers to earn associate, bachelor’s, or master’s degrees in nursing. Nurses will be placed in positions throughout Appalachian Ohio, a region experiencing a critical nursing shortage.
Brown is working to tailor workforce development to the needs of regional, high-growth industries so that more workers could receive placements and more businesses could be attracted to a region based on a “clusters” approach. Brown introduced the bipartisan Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success (SECTORS) Act which would organize stakeholders connected to a regional industry, including business and labor leaders, education and training providers, and local workforce and education system administrators, to develop plans for growing that industry.
The SECTORS Act addresses the disparity between high unemployment rates and a shortage of skilled workers for many emerging industries by providing grants for sector partnerships among institutions of higher education, industry, organized labor, and workforce boards. These partnerships would create customized solutions for specific industries at the regional level. A sector approach can focus on the dual goals of promoting the long-term competitiveness of industries and advancing employment opportunities for workers.
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