Batavia, Ohio - Area Workforce Development Awarded $645,000

Batavia, Ohio - The Workforce One Investment Area- made of up Clermont, Butler, and Warren Counties in Southwest Ohio- has been awarded a $645,000 planning and implementation grant from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS).

“This grant will assist us in doing a comprehensive analysis of job vacancies in our region and to determine the skills necessary to fill these positions,” said Tim McCartney, director of the Clermont Department of Job and Family Services.  “This information, coupled with an analysis of the existing skills of those looking for work, will help us identify training/education gaps that exist; we can then better target training programs to available jobs.”

Southwest Ohio has been hard hit by workforce reductions in the auto industry with Ford, General Motors, and Delphi announcing the loss of thousands of jobs.  These cuts will impact auto industry suppliers and other businesses that rely on them.

“Effective regional workforce development systems, such as Workforce One, are led collaboratively by local elected officials, a strong workforce investment board, economic development partners, Chambers of Commerce, education, and labor,” said ODJFS Assistant Director Terry Thomas.  “This grant will help us work toward new approaches to effectively serve the workforce needs as our economy adapts to global market forces.”

The mission of the Workforce One Investment Area workforce system is to provide an educated and qualified workforce that meets the current and future needs of employers.