Latest news with #TechCred
Business Journals
09-05-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Real-world solutions for manufacturers navigating talent shortages and training barriers
Ask any manufacturer in Southwest Ohio about their biggest challenge today and you'll likely get the same answer: people. The skilled labor shortage is no longer a looming threat, it's a daily reality. And while many businesses are scrambling to plug holes with short-term fixes, the truth is that sustainable workforce development requires a long-term, strategic approach rooted in real-world solutions. At TechSolve, we work with hundreds of manufacturers each year, ranging from small shops to global suppliers and one thing is clear: The companies seeing real results are those investing in talent development as part of their core growth strategy. Why short-term fixes fall short Temporary staffing, sign-on bonuses and crash-course training might fill gaps in the short term, but they rarely build a workforce that's ready for the future. Technology is advancing, supply chains are tightening and customer expectations are rising. Manufacturers need employees who are not just present, but prepared and engaged. To close the skills gap, companies must commit to continuous training and development, upskilling existing employees and building stronger connections with local talent pipelines. A continuous learning culture isn't a quick fix, it's a mindset shift. Local resources are available Southwest Ohio is home to some of the most impactful workforce resources in the country. Yet many manufacturers aren't taking full advantage. Here are three tools we consistently recommend: Ohio TechCred This statewide program reimburses businesses for training employees in tech-focused skills, from CNC programming to cybersecurity and far beyond. Employers choose the credential and training provider, submit a simple online application and get reimbursed once the training is complete. TechCred reduces the financial barrier to upskilling and makes continuous learning more accessible. Career-technical education (CTE) partners When manufacturers and educators collaborate, great things happen. Butler Tech, among others in our region, are leading the way in aligning training with real industry needs, offering programs that prepare students for in-demand careers in manufacturing and logistics. These programs are more than talent pipelines — they're long-term partnerships. TechSolve's workforce services As a designated Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) center, TechSolve helps companies connect the dots between workforce needs and solutions. We work with manufacturers to map out training plans, identify available funding and navigate the often-complex landscape of workforce programs. Whether you're applying for TechCred, partnering with a school or building an internal training model, we're here to guide the process. TechSolve offers in-person and online training programs. Collaboration is the competitive edge Solving the workforce equation isn't just about internal changes, it's about building bridges. Manufacturers who partner with educators, government programs and workforce organizations are creating stronger, more sustainable pipelines. And they're seeing the results in productivity, retention and competitiveness. At TechSolve, we're committed to helping manufacturers build and retain the talent they need to thrive, not just today, but five and 10 years from now. That means sharing best practices, making the most of public resources and helping leadership teams integrate workforce strategy into their overall business plan. The workforce challenge isn't going away, but it can be solved. With the right resources, partnerships, and commitment to long-term success, manufacturers can turn workforce development from a roadblock into a growth driver. We understand the frustration of dealing with skills gaps and turnover – it's costly and disruptive. With the right training and leadership development, your culture can become a driver of growth. To learn how TechSolve can support your workforce strategy, visit our website. Dan Catalano is the president and CEO of TechSolve, a Cincinnati-based organization dedicated to helping manufacturers solve operational challenges through continuous improvement, advanced technology adoption, and workforce development.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Child care cost-sharing model brought back to the Ohio General Assembly
Child care worker Marci Then helps her daughter, Mila, 4, put away toys. (File photo by Elaine S. Povich/Stateline.) Ohio lawmakers are trying again with measures to attack the child care crisis that advocates are warning continue to hurt the state's families and economy, including with a bill that spreads the cost of child care out among employers, employees, and the state. State Rep. Mark Johnson, R-Chillicothe, reintroduced a bill he said came 'late in the game' last year, giving it an uphill battle to passage as the Republican supermajority sought to close up the General Assembly term with other priorities. But Johnson's bill is now Ohio House Bill 2, and has been introduced very early in the new General Assembly, with its first hearing in the House Children and Human Services Committee held on Tuesday. This bill, and its companion bill led in the Ohio Senate by state Sen. Michele Reynolds, R-Canal Winchester, looks to direct $10 million to a 'Child CareCred Program' within the Ohio Department of Children and Youth, to be distributed 'on a first-come, first-served basis,' according to Johnson. The bill models its child care program after Ohio's TechCred program, which incentivizes employers to enroll employees in skill-building programs and connect them with credential providers in exchange for reimbursement. The child care program would create an application process for employers who identify needs within their employees for child care assistance. A program that engages the employer, the employee, and the state is Johnson's way to address what he and child advocates say is a crisis that only hurts Ohio's economy more the longer it goes on. The average cost for child care has gone up on a yearly basis, and a 2024 report from found 1 in 5 American households are paying $36,000 annually on care for their children. 'This financial strain has forced many parents, especially mothers, to reduce their working hours, or leave their jobs entirely to manage child care responsibilities,' Johnson said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX In some areas of the state, workforce participation rates are as low as 50%, according to Johnson, who said that while there are other reasons for a low participation rate, child care is a major reason parents are unable to work or are choosing to leave their jobs. 'If we want to remain known as a business-friendly state, we need to address the child care crisis,' the representative told the House committee on Tuesday. Johnson mentioned the proposal by Gov. Mike DeWine in his proposed executive budget, released on Monday, to increase eligibility for publicly funded child care from 145% to 200% of the federal poverty level. But Johnson said that by just increasing the eligibility level 'we are rewarding employers who pay meager wages.' The Children and Human Services Committee chair, state Rep. Andrea White, R-Kettering, is no stranger to pushing the legislature to address the child care issue, having successfully championed a wide-ranging bill in the last General Assembly that directs different state agencies to study processes and programs on everything from infant mortality to child care programs such as Head Start. Though she's still hoping to see the funding that was left out of her bill come in the new operating budget, White isn't done addressing aspects of child care and child welfare. On Tuesday, White and fellow Republican state Rep. Sharon Ray, R-Wadsworth, introduced House Bill 7. The legislation seeks to 'increase the number of stable, safe family foster homes and long-term kinship care options by providing publicly funded child care for children in the foster care system in these placements,' White told the committee. Ray said that about 14,300 children are in foster care in the state, with 4,000 of those placed with a relative or family friend in kinship care. 'Across the board we have a need for more foster families, whether very young children or teens,' Ray said. 'Let's take the objections off the table by removing the things that get in the way for current and potential foster and kinship parents, so that more loving, caring families can say yes to our children.' Both bills will see further hearings to allow supporters and opponents to give their opinions of the bills before they are voted on by the committee, and if approved, moved forward to votes of the full House. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
