Good Jobs Challenge Press Release

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Lorain County Manufacturing Sector Partnership

8/8/22

Lorain County Manufacturing Sector Partnership To Receive up to $930,000 from Federal ARP Funds’ “Good Jobs Challenge” Program

The Lorain County Manufacturing Sector Partnership’s funds are part of a $23.5 million grant awarded to the Ohio Manufacturers Association for a 3-year workforce development action plan focused on recruiting and upskilling manufacturing workers across the state.

Elyria, Ohio (August 8th, 2022) – The Lorain County Manufacturing Sector Partnership is in line to receive up to $930,000 over the next three years as part of The Ohio Manufacturers Association’s (OMA) $23,492,808 award from the Economic Development Administration’s American Rescue Plan Act Good Jobs Challenge program, which was announced August 3rd, 2022.

OMA is the lead applicant and system lead entity of one of 32 programs throughout the country to receive a portion of $500 million in federal funds aimed at getting Americans back to work by strengthening workforce partnerships that lead to good-paying jobs.

The Lorain County Manufacturing Sector Partnership is among OMA’s network of manufacturing partnerships throughout the state that will receive funding from this grant to carry out specific recruiting and upskilling components of OMA’s workforce development action plan in and around Lorain County.

“This investment from The Department of Commerce, coupled with leadership and support from OMA, and a sharing of best practices from our peers in other ISP’s across the state will have a substantial impact on growing a trained and credentialed workforce in our region.” said LCMSP Executive Director, Michael Fitzpatrick.

50,000+ annual job openings over next 36 months

More than 1,600 manufacturers comprise OMA’s statewide ISP network, including 120 that submitted letters of commitment to source new hires from this initiative. In total, these employers indicated a demand for 25,000+ hires in the next five years at an annual wage of $17.60/hour, which reflects the prevailing wages for the initiative’s targeted in-demand occupations of machining, production, welding, industrial maintenance, and automation and robotics.

In total, these targeted occupations are projected to have 50,000+ annual openings and 150,000 openings in the next 36 months in Ohio.

Targeting underrepresented populations across Ohio’s communities

This initiative prioritizes Ohio's 32 Appalachian communities, the eight largest urban counties, and underrepresented groups among the manufacturing workforce including people of color, women, veterans and returning citizens.

“We project 1,000 Ohio employers to engage in hiring, retaining or advancing a participant served by this initiative,” said Ryan Augsburger, OMA president. “Our goal is to enroll 6,000 participants across the state in one or more training programs that will lead to a job offer or upskilling opportunity at their incumbent employer. Added emphasis will be on reaching job seekers from underrepresented members of our communities.”

In response to regional needs and the needs of the target populations, the ISPs will be led to execute an OMA-developed, evidence-based Entry-Level Learn-and Earn (ELLE) model to prepare a future workforce. The strategy, which gives employers the opportunity to build a workforce trained to their specific needs, includes recruiting, pre-screening, preparing job skills training, onboarding, and ongoing support and job coaching components.



“Ultimately, the Good Jobs Challenge grant will lay the groundwork for exponential, ongoing impacts beyond the 36-month grant period by operationalizing sustainable new training programs, formalizing referral partnerships, accelerating ISPs’ momentum, and building underrepresented communities’ interest in manufacturing careers,” Augsburger said.

About The Lorain County Manufacturing Sector Partnership

The Lorain County Manufacturing Sector Partnership (LCMSP) is an employer-led group of prominent manufacturing companies committed to promoting manufacturing and growing the available workforce in the region for manufacturing companies. The LCMSP is a Working Group of the Lorain County Manufacturing Council, a 501(c)(3) serving manufacturers in Lorain County and the surrounding area. Companies interested in joining the Lorain County Manufacturing Sector Partnership in this critical work are invited to contact lcmsp@lorainccc.edu. Visit us online at www.lcmsp.org, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, or YouTube.

About Ohio Manufacturers’ Association

The Ohio Manufacturers' Association is Ohio's largest statewide business association comprised solely of manufacturers. Established in 1910, the OMA's mission is protect and grow Ohio manufacturing. It represents manufacturers of all sizes in every subsector of the industry. Manufacturing is Ohio’s largest economic sector, employing approximately 675,000 Ohioans and contributing more than $127 billion annually to the economy. Visit ohiomfg.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

Media Contacts: 

Michael Fitzpatrick

Lorain County Manufacturing Sector Partnership

216-816-0272

lcmsp@lorainccc.edu

Sara Tracey

Ohio Manufacturers Association

stracey@ohiomfg.com

614-557-0937