12/12/2023

Husted Announces Industry Sector Partnership Awards

The funding supports businesses, communities and education providers

On Dec. 11, 2023, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, announced 26 workforce partnerships located throughout the state will receive $5 million in awards through the Industry Sector Partnership (ISP) Grant. The program supports collaborations that help bring Ohioans into the workforce pipeline while meeting the needs of job creators and the local economy.

The awarded partnerships will focus on building a workforce in multiple in-demand industry sectors, including healthcare, manufacturing and transportation.

"Today's awards set a record for the most partnerships created or expanded through the grant in a single round, creating more opportunities for communities and industries to grow that workforce pipeline," Husted said. "It's important that we encourage collaboration throughout communities so we can train our students with the skills businesses in their regions need and expose them to opportunities available in their own backyards."

Industry sector partnerships are designed to develop regional workforce strategies, with the goal of driving collaboration between local businesses, education/training providers and community stakeholders. These grants will help support the operations of both new and existing industry sector partnerships around Ohio.

"With these grants, we're able to foster robust workforce pipelines that better meet the evolving demands of our industry partners," said Lydia Mihalik, director of the Ohio Department of Development. "Not only are we strengthening the bridge between education and employment, we're empowering communities to cultivate strategies that will ensure a skilled workforce for generations to come."

Ohio has invested $12.5 million in industry sector partnerships over the last four years. The first three rounds of the program awarded 27 partnerships a total of $7.5 million. The latest awards double the amount of funding ever awarded in a single round.

You can learn more about the ISP grant by selecting this link.