Ohio Launches New Effort to Help Working Ohioans Upgrade Their Skills

Press Release

Today Gov. John R. Kasich announced a new and aggressive approach to helping Ohio workers improve their skills while also enhancing the economic competitiveness of Ohio companies. The Ohio Incumbent Workforce Training Voucher Program provides $20 million for training opportunities designed to enhance worker skills.
"Continuing Ohio's recovery means helping job-creators and workers have access to the tools they need to modernize and evolve, and one of the most important tools is knowledge. It used to be that virtually the only way workers could get training help was to lose their jobs. Wouldn't it be better if Ohio could help prevent lay-offs to begin with by helping workers get the skills they need so their employers are more competitive and workers keep their jobs? That's the aim of this effort. Workers and businesses across Ohio become more competitive when they can take their know-how to the next level," said Kasich.
The program provides direct financial assistance to both Ohio workers looking to improve their skills and employers looking to enhance the skills of their workforce. The program is designed to offset a portion of the employer or employee's costs for training and will provide reimbursement to eligible employers for specific costs accrued during training. Applications will be available for the program beginning January 7, 2013. Workers and companies can learn more about the program and apply for it by visiting www.OhioMeansJobs.com.
The Ohio Incumbent Workforce Training Voucher Program, administered by the Ohio Development Services Agency, is part of Governor Kasich's overall workforce development reform effort.
An essential part of Ohio's economic revival is enhancing Ohio workers' competitiveness by creating a world-class workforce development system. Streamlining Ohio's fragmented worker training programs and services to be more responsive to the needs of workers and job-creators, better aligning the needs of employers and training programs, and more closely engaging business leaders in workforce development efforts are all new initiatives begun by Gov. Kasich to transform Ohio's workforce to help further fuel Ohio's recovery.

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