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Workforce Innovation Center chosen as Southwest Ohio hub for WorkOhio; program to run through June 2027
Summary
Audrey Treasurer of the Workforce Innovation Center told the Economic and Cultural Opportunity Committee the Chamber-led center was selected as the regional WorkOhio hub and will operate a job-seeker portal and partner network, with state funding for two years and an expected wrap date of 2027-06-30.
The Economic and Cultural Opportunity Committee heard March 9 from Audrey Treasurer, executive director of the Workforce Innovation Center at the Cincinnati Chamber, about the center’s new role as the WorkOhio regional hub for Southwest Ohio.
Treasurer said the center, which serves the 15-county Cincinnati metropolitan area, was selected after a November application and publicly announced in January alongside the lieutenant governor. "We applied in November and learned later that year that we were selected," she told the committee. The hub aligns with JobsOhio regions and will coordinate activities across state agencies including the Department of Higher Education and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
The program includes an online WorkOhio portal where job seekers fill out a brief interest form; center staff then follow up to connect people with partners who provide career coaching, credentialing, transportation and childcare supports. Treasurer said the hub draws on a partner network that includes county workforce boards, United Way’s 211 platform and local education and training providers. "Our team then follows up with them to learn more about what it is that they are looking for so that we can best connect them to the partners on the screen to help them solve their needs," she said.
Committee members pressed for details about employer engagement and measurement. Vice Chair Seth Walsh asked about a "benefits and perks" page and an employer pledge; Treasurer described a voluntary pledge employers can sign and said she did not believe the City of Cincinnati had signed. "We should work on that," Walsh said. Vice Mayor J. Michelle Lehi Kearney, joining by Zoom, asked how the hub supports people unsure about qualifications or next steps; Treasurer said the hub uses case-by-case outreach, coordinates with United Way/211 and uses the statewide ARIES system to track participant progress.
Treasurer said the WorkOhio project is funded from the state budget for two years and "will formally wrap 06/30/2027." Council Member Anna Albee asked what success looks like at the end of the 18-month window; Treasurer said the state uses 11 categories to track needs and outcomes, and that success metrics include both placements and improved employer capacity.
The committee filed the presentation after members said they would encourage city participation in the pledge and public outreach. Treasurer offered to return with follow-up information on outreach, outcomes and data sources.
