According to Ohio’s Job Search Website, there Are More than 94,000 Unfilled Jobs in Ohio; Brown Has Visited SECTORS-Style Training Programs in Cincinnati, Rossford, Zanesville, Dayton, Cleveland, and Lorain

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – According to news reports, Governor John Kasich will propose a cluster-based approach to workforce development in his State of the State address today in Steubenville, Ohio. To complement and support the Governor’s proposal, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today called for passage of his bipartisan Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success (SECTORS) Act, which would help unemployed workers train for high-tech jobs in their region. By tailoring workforce development to the needs of regional, high-growth industry, more workers could receive placements and more businesses could be attracted to a region based on a “clusters” approach. The SECTORS Act 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.

“It’s a story I’ve heard time and time again throughout Ohio: biotech firms, high-tech manufacturers, and small businesses are hiring for open positions, but can’t find the workers with the right skills to fill them,” Brown said. “With too many Ohioans still unable to find work, we should be doing all that we can to ensure that our workers are qualified to fill Ohio jobs. I’m glad that Governor Kasich is devoting time in his State of the State to outline how a clusters-based job growth strategy for Ohio can help ensure our state’s economic competitiveness while reducing our unemployment rate. I hope this message breaks the obstruction on workforce investment legislation and the SECTORS Act, so that Ohio industries like biotechnology, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing can continue to grow and flourish.”

Brown first introduced SECTORS in 2008, and announced plans to reintroduce it last year at a meeting of the Administration’s Manufacturing Council held at Perrysburg, Ohio’s First Solar. The SECTORS Act is critical bill to train workers for skilled jobs in emerging industries like clean energy. Despite the nation’s 8.3 percent unemployment rate, there is still demand in today’s labor market for skilled workers. This is particularly true for “middle-skill” jobs that require more than a high school degree but less than a four-year college degree. These jobs make up nearly half of America's labor market and provide good compensation for workers.

Brown has traveled around Ohio to highlight how a SECTORS-style approach could help grow jobs in Ohio:

  • In January 2012, during a visit to Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, Brown highlighted an industry-sector jobs program that has trained more than 400 unemployed Ohioans for jobs in the emerging bioscience industry. Brown, who helped secure federal resources to help fund worker training in Cincinnati, was joined by a formerly-underemployed worker who graduated from the program and now works at DG Medical in Centerville.
  • In July 2010, Brown visited a clean energy jobs training site in Rossford to outline how a recent award of $5 million in new federal funds will help train workers for jobs in the clean energy industry. The Ohio GROWS (Green and Renewable Opportunities for Workers) project provides clean energy jobs training to nearly 1,300 workers at 19 sites across Ohio.
  • In October 2010, Brown was in Zanesville to discuss workforce development plans related to clean energy technology with area college and university presidents and business leaders, convening a roundtable at Zane State College in Muskingum County.
  • In October 2010, Brown also visited Dayton to meet with displaced auto workers participating in an advanced manufacturing class at Sinclair Community College. Workers in the program receive advanced manufacturing training at the school for a new career; the college’s advanced manufacturing curriculum is industry-driven and focused to prepare students for work in both large and small manufacturers.
  • In April 2009, Brown met with displaced auto workers and leaders in the bioscience and green energy industries at Cuyahoga Community College to discuss the SECTORS Act. Brown joined Dr. Craig Follins, Executive Vice President of Workforce and Economic Development at Cuyahoga Community College, to outline how more than $3 million in new federal funds for Tri-C will provide students with specialized training in bioscience, medical manufacturing, and green energy. The same day, Brown met with displaced auto workers and business leaders on Kent State University’s Trumbull campus to outline how more than $238,000 in new federal funds for the Northeast Ohio Advanced Manufacturing Institute at Kent State Trumbull will meet regional workforce needs by providing workers with specialized training in advanced manufacturing.

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.

The SECTORS Act would organize stakeholders connected to a regional industry—multiple firms, unions, education and training providers, and local workforce and education system administrators—to develop plans for growing that industry. Eligible entities would be able to apply for a one year planning grant of up to $250,000 and a three-year implementation grant of up to $2.5 million.

As a member of the Senate Manufacturing Caucus, Brown has introduced a package of key legislative proposals aimed at bolstering the competiveness of U.S. manufacturers and boosting domestic manufacturing. He also serves as a member of the President’s Export Council, working to advance the National Export Initiative (NEI) and reach President Barack Obama's goal to double exports over the next five years.

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