Earlier this month, GROW Licking County hosted its 7th Annual Investor’s Breakfast and although highlighting the organization’s outstanding success (since 2012, over 5,300 jobs and over $2.2B invested in Licking County) was part of the story -- it was not all of the story.
As part of the program, keynote speaker and Lt. Governor of Ohio, Jon Husted, spoke of the need for continued efforts to strengthen local workforce developments. In his remarks, the Lt. Governor noted that skills development, such as robotics, automated repair, and other modern skilled trades, are key drivers for Ohio’s growing economy. Moreover, the Lt. Governor highlighted the upcoming In-Demand Jobs Week, a statewide celebration of jobs, industries, and the skills that are in-demand in Ohio.
Slated for the May 6-10, In-Demand Jobs Week encourages community leaders to partner and plan engaging events and activities that will inspire excitement and awareness among students and job seekers. One program I know we will be highlighting is GROW Licking County’s Workforce Development.
In partnership with the Licking County Foundation, this program currently support’s C-TEC of Licking County’s Manufacturing Industrial Skill Trade (MIST) program promoting skills development in the areas of CNC machining, multi-craft maintenance, and welding. In 2018 alone, 10 scholarships were awarded totaling nearly $42,000 supporting students in these high-demand job fields. For more information on the program, check out the graphic below or visit our website, www.growlickingcounty.org/connect and click on our annual report.
Moreover, if you are a student interested in developing your skills locally, be sure to check out C-TEC’s Adult Education program as well as programs at Central Ohio Technical College (COTC) where upskill opportunities in manufacturing, healthcare, and IT are readily available! Additionally, if you are an employer interested in supporting GROW’s Workforce Development Fund, be sure to reach out to me, Executive Director Nate Strum, at (740) 345-9757 ext, 3 or via e-mail at nstrum@growlickingcounty.org.
Finally, be sure to watch GROW Licking County’s and the Licking County Chamber of Commerce’s social media pages to see what additional programs we will be highlighting during this year’s In-Demand Jobs Week !