To address Ohio manufacturers’ number one concern, OMA has committed to making Ohio the recognized national leader in talent development. The change strategy is systemic, statewide change centered on industry-led sector partnerships: local or regional organizations – led by manufacturers – that include state and local partners from education, economic development and workforce organizations. The sector partners collaborate to create customer-driven alignment around their priority workforce issues. A system of three committees guides and informs the work:

• Leadership Committee, made up of OMA board member company representatives and invited industry leaders, charged with driving the OMA workforce agenda.
• Intermediary Committee, which includes a representative from each manufacturing sector partnership in Ohio.
• State Agency Committee, which includes representatives from the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE), Ohio Department of Education (ODE), Ohio Department of Veterans Services, Ohio Development Services Agency, and the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services (ODJFS) and JobsOhio.

The committees organize work in four major areas:

• Leadership / Sector Partnership Capacity Building: Through technical assistance and best practices sharing, increase industry champions’ and partnerships’ abilities to drive systems change
• Policy Development: Amplify the voice of manufacturers with lawmakers and public officials
• Marketing and Communication: Leverage the Making Ohio brand to elevate awareness and interest in manufacturing careers
• Education Innovation: Increase public/private collaborations that train and educate the manufacturing workforce of tomorrow

The new 2019 Workforce Roadmap: Priorities for Systems Change in Workforce Development details specific initiatives underway. Page 10 highlights some simple ways you can get involved. 2/1/2019