Zane State College Hosts U.S. Senator George Voinovich

Zane State College hosted a roundtable discussion with Senator George Voinovich on Monday, July 7, providing an opportunity for area business leaders to discuss workforce development issues and opportunities. 

Approximately 20 Southeast Ohio business leaders met with Senator Voinovich at the Willett-Pratt Training Center in Cambridge.  Concerned about Ohio’s unemployment rate, Senator Voinovich discussed his proposed Workforce Innovation Regional Development Act of 2008, or WIRED Act.  He also collected additional information from business leaders about the shortcomings of the current workforce development system, including funding mechanisms.

“We have a real crisis today of human capital, said Voinovich.  “The number one thing [Ohio] needs to do is make sure businesses that need people have them.  We need workforce training.  Our greatest resource is people.”

Despite the fact that Ohio’s unemployment rate was 5.5% compared to the national average of 4.9% in January, employers continue to say that they are unable to find workers to fill open positions.  To compound the problem, Ohio was required to return roughly $20 million in unspent federal Workforce Investment Act funds from prior years because the current system does not provide an adequate mechanism to allow for the reallocation of funds to address other workforce development needs.  Senator Voinovich has introduced the WIRED legislation to ensure that the funding system becomes more fluid and responsive to employer training needs in Ohio and other states.

“Regardless of our business, we all have the same workforce development needs,” said Denny Patterson of Bi-Con Services.  Patterson and other business leaders said they rely on multiple funding sources to train their workforce.  They also utilize the Business & Industry specialists at Zane State College to help them identify additional funding streams and to train their current workforce.

“The [Willett-Pratt] Training Center has been a tremendous asset in developing any training Bi-Con needs,” said Patterson.  “They understand our business and help us find the money we need to obtain new employees.  Even though we work in 21 states, we can come back here to rely on the training we need.”

Senator Voinovich assured participants that their workforce development issues are being addressed at the national level and thanked them for the work they were doing at the local level.  “We have a challenge today in our country,” said Voinovich.  “We need to develop the infrastructure of competitiveness so we can compete in the global market.  All of us together can make a difference.”