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Business and education leaders urge stronger alignment to fill Central Ohio jobs
Summary
At a Columbus Metropolitan Club forum, panelists representing employers and education groups called for earlier career-connected learning, greater employer involvement in school curriculum and counseling, and broader use of work-based learning to address thousands of local job openings and a persistent skills mismatch.
At a CMC forum at the Ellis in Columbus, business and education leaders said aligning schools with employers is essential to fill thousands of unfilled jobs across Ohio and keep economic growth centered in Central Ohio.
Panelists said a lack of alignment — not necessarily lack of funding — is the primary barrier preventing students from filling openings in manufacturing, health care and high-tech industries. "We have to make sure that everybody in the Columbus region shares in the prosperity of this region," said Pat Tiberi, president and CEO of the Ohio Business Roundtable.
The problem is immediate, panelists said. Lisa Gray, president of Ohio Excels, warned that much of Ohio is shrinking outside Central Ohio, and urged scaling proven local partnerships that connect students to jobs. "Central Ohio has benefited in growth to the rest of the state," Gray said. "We have folks coming from all over the state leaving their communities to take advantage of the incredible economic opportunity in Central Ohio, but yet there are people who live within walking distance of…
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