Focus Will Be On Central Ohio Workforce Challenges
Contact: Meredith Hart, Marketing & Communications Director
614.247.2675, meredith.hart@wosu.org
COLUMBUS, OHIO, March 29, 2018 – A major federal grant to WOSU Public Media will help advance education and career readiness in Central Ohio.
The $170,000 two-year grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) for the American Graduate: Getting to Work initiative will allow WOSU to assess workforce challenges and opportunities, and produce content focused on the essential skills needed for students and workers to succeed in the job markets of today and tomorrow.
There is strong evidence in Central Ohio of innovative movements to confront the mismatch between available jobs and qualified workers to overcome the barriers to training and employment.
“I’m amazed by the ability to get partners to the table in Central Ohio,” says Cheryl Hay, JobsOhio’s Director of Project Talent Acquisition. “It’s incredible the amount of time that the overall community—our nonprofits, our schools, our workforces system and our businesses—are willing to put in to help craft solutions and be proactive on how to stay vibrant.”
The new CPB grant represents Phase 3 of public media’s successful American Graduate initiative.
“We are among just nineteen public stations to receive the grant,” said Tom Rieland, General Manager of WOSU. “Aside from our local focus to match jobs with qualified workers, WOSU will collaborate with the public television stations in Cleveland and Cincinnati on a state model to address issues of education and career readiness that may be used across the country.”
As it promotes American Graduate: Getting to Work, WOSU Public Media is working closely with community stalwarts including Central Ohio Compact, the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation and JobsOhio.
The Central Ohio Compact is a coalition advancing a workforce strategy with a bold goal: 65 percent of Central Ohioans will have a postsecondary degree or certificate by 2025.
The Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation is focused on growing Ohio’s economy by developing a skilled and productive workforce, promoting effective training programs, and connecting employers with qualified workers.
JobsOhio, a private nonprofit corporation, drives job creation by helping Ohio’s businesses expand and attracting new companies to the state.
WOSU Public Media is a community-supported, noncommercial network of public radio and television stations, and digital services.
For more information on American Graduate: Getting to Work, please visit American Graduate website.