Ohio Manufacturers’ Association’s New Workforce Services Roadmap

The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association has announced the availability of the latest OMA Workforce Roadmap. Guiding the workforce community since 2017, the Workforce Roadmap lays out the strategies that will continue to bolster OMA’s network of Industry Sector Partnerships to protect and grow Ohio manufacturing. OMA’s workforce priorities are designed to:

  • Expand earn-and-learn programs to engage, evaluate, and employ recruits. Through June 2025, we will scale an entry-level earn-and-learn initiative called WorkAdvance throughout the state via OMA’s network of Industry Sector Partnerships (ISPs).
  • Accelerate the development of a statewide Innovation/Industry 4.0 education and workforce development environment. As manufacturing technology advances, our efforts to stay on-pace with innovation and support manufacturers by maintaining a pipeline of trained workers are critical.
  • Develop the structures and processes that help manufacturers hire and retain workers through a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion lens. Expanding and diversifying the advanced manufacturing talent pool is endorsed by OMA as a viable solution for helping to close the skills gap in Ohio.
  • Strengthen and expand the capacity of OMA’s ISPs. As of January 2023, OMA’s ISP network had grown to 15 endorsed partnerships with more in the process of obtaining endorsement, collectively encompassing 72 of Ohio’s 88 counties.

View the full OMA Workforce Roadmap here and review a one-page summary here. Ohio manufacturers are encouraged to get involved with their local sector partnership to address their workforce challenges. For information on how your business can become directly involved with the OMA’s workforce services, email Sara Tracey.