Two weeks ago, the Councils of both the City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County approved a piece of legislation (proposed by Mayor Bibb and County Executive Ronayne) with significant impact. The legislation authorized the reorganization of our local public workforce board – delivering programs through OhioMeansJobs – from an intergovernmental entity of the City and the County together, to a new non-profit organization to be created.
This legislation was years in the making, as many systems change initiatives are. This particular structure change made its way to the City and County for approval based on a recommendation made in May from OMJ-CC’s board.
Why was this recommendation made? After years of looking at other public workforce boards across Ohio and the nation, considering what residents and employers need in Cuyahoga County, and considering the input of past and present Executive Directors and teams, the board was compelled by these potential benefits from a structure transition:
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- More residents helped with job training (sometimes paid for by the office itself)
- More residents connected to good jobs immediately
- More employers able to find the talent they need
- A more innovative public workforce office, better able to respond to needs as they arise in our community and able to do it with a broader range of tools
- More aligned team working at the OMJ-CC office, with one leadership team and a shared culture
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Many of these changes will occur in the background! People – residents and employers — visiting the office for services may not notice a difference. But in the background, the office will have more capacity and more flexibility to do more for greater Cleveland.
The board is now working with Michelle Rose (Executive Director), Laura Chalker (Deputy Director), and the staff and partners to establish this new non-profit organization, to make this change effective July 1. If you’d like to learn more about this transition, please reach out to me or any member of the OMJ-CC board. Or, introduce yourself to Michelle Rose.
Meantime, the good work of OMJ-CC continues every day, as it has done for years. If you are seeking a good job or want to hire good talented people, reach out to the office today!