As a workforce funder, we know AI is already dramatically changing work and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. We also know that workforce practitioners will be evolving all aspects of their efforts to prepare people for careers. Providers will help participants strengthen the durable skills which will be ever more important in the future, understand the responsible use of AI tools,  and train people for the new roles and evolved occupations which emerge.

But how will they make these important changes, and when?

We know answering these questions requires workforce providers to deeply consider their approaches, connect actively to employers, and maintain flexibility. Answers will  also require confidence, understanding and knowledge about AI and how its use is evolving, and this is where we come in.

While we are far from AI experts, we believe one role we can play is to help our workforce development community grow in its confidence in using and understanding it.  We will be:

• • • Regularly convening a roundtable of practitioners to share learnings from AI pilots, identify areas for further learning, and continue to expand AI usage across relevant use cases which benefit job seekers, employers, and workforce organizations themselves
    • Learning as much as possible and sharing relevant articles from actual experts in an “AI Corner” feature in our email newsletter (feel free to send me links to articles you believe are helpful and relevant!) Similarly, when warranted, we’ll devote more time and space to highlighting new tools or other relevant learnings in our blogs or email newsletter articles. (sign up for our email here.)
    • Using AI ourselves at the foundation, from the obvious ways to trying new and different applications, making ourselves a learning lab and contributing with empathy to the learning community we’re in.

Our hope is that our practitioner partners leverage these resources and discussions (along with all they are doing independently) into the confident, creative thinking which leads to pilots, prototypes, new uses, and evolved programming.

As AI changes, and its use among our practitioner and employer community changes, our strategy may change too. We’ll keep you posted.

April is Re-Entry Month, a month dedicated to building awareness regarding the many barriers and roadblocks affecting the 5,000 justice impacted adults returning to society each year in Cuyahoga County. To bring Re-Entry month to life, one of the programs held was a 2 hour “re-entry simulation” offered by Towards Employment and the Cuyahoga County Office of Re-Entry.

For those who haven’t attended this type of simulation before (such as the well-known poverty simulation), the goal is to put each individual in the shoes of a person (mine was named “Bethany”) with a background brief, and let the participant simulate the experiences of, in this case, re-entering the community after incarceration. 

This simulation, which took 2 hours, represented the first month a person experiences upon re-entry. “Bethany” had served a 10 year sentence in Federal prison, experienced a drug addiction and was living in a halfway house, and needed to secure employment but had only a social security card to start.  My job, as “Bethany”, was to go through all the activities required of her – get all her required Federal IDs, attend weekly check-ins in with her probation officer and mandatory AA/NA meetings, attend mandatory drug counselling, manage a meager amount of money while purchasing food and other necessities, try to secure a job, and deal with the unexpected situations which arise in life — to stay out of prison and start her new life. I was given a list of these activities which needed to occur each week and went to each “office” (table in the room) to accomplish each activities. Each week was simulated in 15 minutes.

Here are my takeaways:

1) It felt impossible.  It didn’t take long to realize the number of required check-ins and activities was way more I was able to achieve. Between long lines at the various “offices” and the vast number of things I was required to do each “week”, I just wasn’t able to accomplish everything. In the simulation, I gave up on purchasing food  – clearly, only in a simulatation. In real life, if someone isn’t able to attend a probation officer meeting, or get a bus ride to an AA/NA meeting, the person could be headed back to incarceration.

2)  Kindness was appreciated, even needed.  This was a simulation, but the stress and anxiety I felt in this simulation meant that the friendly faces and the kind tones of the people acting as the “agency workers” were needed. In fact, I had no idea how much a kind tone or a smile would be welcome.

3)  Coaching and support are needed. In general, we often discuss how important job coaching and career navigation are, and while this wasn’t an experience focused exclusively on those activities, the need I had for someone to help me was immediately clear and absolutely required. At one point in the simulation, someone approached me to offer me $100 or  a “wild card”, a card reflecting good or bad outcomes you had to address immediately. I took the $100, and then was thrown in jail for participating in an illegal scheme.  It struck me so clearly how important it would have been for me – in a simulation – to have someone (family member, job coach, friend, trusted mentor) who could have said to me, “Cathy, that’s baloney”.  Without that, the rules of the game are unclear and it’s so easy to make a terrible mistake.

4)  The dichotomy between the requirements and the creative thinking needed.  I was almost overwhelmed with all the weekly requirements I needed to meet to stay out of incarceration (e.g attending meetings, checking in with Probation, etc.) Instantly, I was focused on compliance and following rules, and the fear and discomfort with all that you can’t control in that environment made the focus on compliance even more strong. Yet, at the same time, several people guiding the process or acting as agency representatives would remind us: “Advocate for yourself. Ask questions. Ask for what you need. Try to figure out deals you can make that aren’t presented to you.”  I’m sure that’s all true…but for me, it wasn’t realistic at all. When you are being told to paint by color within the lines or face extreme downside, expecting people to think other ways feels, frankly, ridiculous. This is an important perspective for those working with this population.

5)  “Overwhelmed. Exhausted. Fearful. Eye-Opening.” These were some of the words shared by the participants after the simulation was done, all of which captured how I felt too. And thus, how some of the participants in the workforce system feel – IRL.

There’s no way these simulations are as a difficult as real life, but they are a good reminder for those of us who are lucky enough to live differently. If you have the chance to participate, I know you’d add other takeaways to this list.

Our new report from The Center for Community Solutions regarding workforce development funding levels in Cuyahoga County is available! An update from the last report, from 2021, reflects the changing funding levels for workforce development activities since that time. There’s no substitute for thoroughly reading the detailed and thoughtful work of the Center for Community Solutions, but here are a few takeaways to whet your appetite!

1) Total funding in 2025 is just over $62 million, composed principally of public funds ($16M in Federal, $25M in TANF and SNAP E&T dollars administered by the County, and almost $4M in State funds.) Of note: this excludes Cuyahoga-County-based employer recipients of TechCred funding, which is significant and growing in 2026. (The employer level data by County is available but excluded from this report as I think it requires a Freedom of Information Act request.)

2) State of Ohio funding for workforce activities has been consistently increasing. In fact, enacted 2027 funding is more than twice that of 2020 funding, consistent with the priority the administration and legislators are putting on workforce development. This total represents discretionary funds, so it is in addition to funding from the U.S. Dept of Labor provided to the County through the Office of Jobs and Family Services (principally known as WIOA and provided in Cuyahoga County to Greater Cleveland Works).

3) Within State funding, the largest portion (41%) is to build workforce readiness in our K-12 school system. Highlights of the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce funding provided in 2025 include $22M for career-tech education enhancements, $16M for industry-recognized credential attainment, and $11M for adult education.

4) TechCred is growing significantly. TechCred, a program of the Dept of Development, reimburses some training costs to employers for existing employees who earn short-term credentials. It also provides the Individual Microcredential Assistance Program, which reimburses training providers for helping low-income or under/unemployed individuals receive a credential at no cost. Both these programs have become very popular, and funding for the July 2025 – June 2027 biennium total just over $47M, a significant increase from annual funding under $10M prior to that.

5) County funding is significant. Four sources of county investment in the workforce development system were the Public Assistance Fund (TANF and SNAP E&T), the Health and Human Services levy, and the General Fund, with the Public Assistance Fund representing over 90% of the funding. Major uses of the Public Assistance fund included CCMEP funding (for youth and young adults to transition to employment); the Prevention, Retention and Contingency Program for Emergency Assistance, which provides work supports to individuals seeking employment (for tools, transportation assistance, etc); and Bridges Beyond Benefits, a program supporting individuals who are seeking to reduce public benefits through work.

See here for the much more interesting and data-rich full report!

Visual from “Long-Term Effects of a Sectoral Advancement Strategy”, March 2020, MDRC (Kelsey Schaberg and David Greenberg)

I believe that workforce development programs enable people to make more money as a result of completing the program.  The WorkAdvance study, a national study that also worked with local provider Towards Employment,  evaluated completers’ earnings at 2, 5, and 7 years post workforce training (where the training was aligned with local employment needs; it was manufacturing and healthcare here in Ohio.) This study shows that people make more money ($4100+ annually more) in at least the first several years,  for employer-aligned training programs with the right program design.

Is there a way to better understand the long-term earnings trajectory of people after workforce programs? To develop a local capacity to understand this on an on-going basis? To better understand who is being most helped, to what degree, in what fields/occupations?  To inform the many decisions made every day about how to best implement workforce programs?

I am working with a small group of people to think through these questions, and one of the steps I’ve taken to consider this is to look at other markets and other studies. Here are some of the encouraging reports which confirm what we believe and know from WorkAdvance:

• • • A report for Skills for Chicagoland’s Future evaluated earnings impact and employment retention, among other topics, of a job matching initiative for 2 years of follow-up. In this report, there was consistent average increase in annual earnings (for the 2 years) from the initiative, ranging from $4K (for retail and food service roles) to $11,000+ (healthcare and business/financial service roles).  Retention was also higher (11% higher at end of 2 years vs. those not attending training). Job matching can be effective.

• • • Partners for a Competitive Workforce completed a wage study of 6,100 individuals across three career pathways. Over 4,600 earned credentials and 82% earned employment (75% of the total retained that employment 12 months later.) IN this research, everyone who participated in a workforce program had earned at least $100 more per month during that first year, with those earning a credential tied to an occupation making $200 more per month and those earning a licensemaking up to $700 more per month.  (The limitation was that this was only measured for 12 months post-employment.) Upskilling can be effective.

• • • A Return on Investment study conducted by the Greater Cincinnati Workforce Network looked at the financial return of a healthcare employer paying for a training program for its own associates. UC Health trained existing workers in low-skill jobs for occupations requiring associate degrees. The costs were $1.8 million, whereas the benefits were $2.0 million (due to recruitment cost savings), providing an ROI to UC of 11.9%.   This same study looked at the ROI of hiring people who had completed certificate training programs. There, the benefit was almost $5K per employee in reduced turnover and recruitment costs, with total benefits of $2.6 million. Employers see impact from engaging with workforce development partners.

These studies reflect much shorter timeframes post-workforce program than the WorkAdvance suite, and are one-time studies (compared with an ongoing capacity and tracking.)  We know we can learn more with a more comprehensive approach.  But these represent high quality (statistically-significant) validation of workforce programs – particularly those aligned with the needs of local, good employers – to increase the earnings potential of program completers.

It’s time to regroup on ways we are keeping abreast of the world of workforce in 2026. Here are some of the sources we use!

Podcasts: (available on your favorite podcast app)

The Jobs Podcast. This podcast is from earlier in 2025 and features people talking about their jobs, including the path they took to get there. Some guests have been a Logistics Operations Manager, Audio Engineer for heavy metal bands for use on video games, K9 Police Officer, Fabricator, and Woodworker, among many others. This podcast should be on the listening list for every middle and high school student!

HBS Managing the Future of Work. This pod, which comes out about every 2 weeks, features different guests who have perspective on the implication of trends (political, business, economic, AI) on employees and workers.  Its guests are diverse including business owners and leaders across a variety of sectors, academia, and workforce non-profits.

The AI Daily Brief: Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis. This was recommended to us by Tiffany Hsieh, the director of the Center for AI and the Future of Work at Jobs for the Future. Usually just under 30 min, this daily podcast is an easy way to keep abreast on all things AI; it’s also easy to just listen to those of personal interest. Check out their “50 AI Predictions for 2026” Parts 1 and 2 to see if you find it valuable.

Writing/blogs/newsletters:

Sage Economics by Zack Fritz, on Substack. I’ve just learned how many of us follow this newsletter for overall employment, business, and occupational trends. It does have a somewhat partisan bent but overall, the data and links to sources are thorough and objective. He has both paid and free content and the free content is valuable even if you don’t want to subscribe to the paid content.

ObviouslytheFuture by three venture capitalists. This is a website with content as well as a podcast, and is best for those really interested in thinking about global, massive trends. Sometimes those are connected to workforce, sometimes to other parts of our life (which are always eventually connected to workforce.) Check out the “18 Avalanches in 2025” to gauge your interest, and know you need to plan to have patience with the links to specific tech startups related to each of the trends.

Other Media Ideas:

I do like hearing directly from the Ohio General Assembly member representing our community in Columbus. Here’s a quick roundup of some of our local members who have active Instagram accounts:

• • Twrader for Rep. Tristan Rader (D-13)
  • Brennanforohio for Rep. Sean Brennan (D-14)
  • Repglassburn for Rep. Chris Glassburn (D-15)
  • Repbridesweeney for Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney (D-16)
  • Repmikedovilla for Rep. Mike Dovilla (R-17)
  • Juanita_brent for Rep. Juanita Brent (D-18)
  • Robinsonforoh for Rep. Phil Robinson (D- 19)
  • Rep_upchurch for Rep. Terrence Upchurch (D-20)
  • Ericsynenberg for Rep. Eric Synenberg (D-21)
  • brewer for Rep. Darnell Brewer (D-22)
  • Rep_troy for Rep. Daniel Troy (D-23)
  • Nickieantonio for Sen. Nickie Antonio (D-23)
  • Kentksmith for Sen. Kent Smith. (D-21)

You can also sign up for emails from many of these individuals and other General Assembly members who don’t have Instagram accounts via their pages on the Ohio Representatives and Senators webpages.

What are your must-follows?

Ohio Excels recently released its 2025 Reality Check report, one of those annual reports I eagerly wait upon and inhale as soon as it’s available. (If you are just learning about Ohio Excels, it’s a non-profit founded in 2018 by Ohio business leaders to help improve and transform Ohio’s education system to better prepare students for success.)  The report reflects Ohio Excel’s commitment to elevating system-level indicators to drive policy, advocacy and outcomes across the state.

5  takeaways I consider important:

1) Ohio, as of October 2025, has over 86,000 jobs open which pay more than $50K annual salary. There is demand for people to fill well-paying jobs!

 2) 3 (or 4?) of Ohio’s top 10 fastest growing jobs that pay a salary of $50K or more require only a high school degree or certificate: tractor-trailer driver, industrial machinery mechanic, and farmer/agricultural manager.   There’s another one too – Registered Nurse – which is labeled as requiring a bachelor’s degree  (but requires at least an Associate’s degree and passing the nursing certifications.)  Well-paying jobs are in reach for Ohio students!

3) We need to have more Ohioans with higher levels of skill and knowledge to fill expected jobs in 2031 (6 yrs) . Of all the jobs forecasted to exist in Ohio in 2031, 32% of them will require certifications/some college or an Associate’s degree, which is very similar to the number in 2018 who graduated with these certifications (30%). But 34% of them will require a Bachelor’s or more, and in 2018, only 27% of Ohioans received those degrees.

4) Career tech education is underused in our state. Just under 20% of students in grades 7-12 participate in career tech (CTE) education, which is much under the percentage of jobs (see #3 above) which will require at least some advanced skill beyond high school. We have a very strong CTE system across Ohio but having more opportunities for students in their home high schools would undoubtedly increase this participation rate.

5) One way to offset the cost of post-secondary skills training and education is through College Credit Plus. On a positive note, enrollment continues to grow, with almost one third of students in the class of 2024 earning some higher education credit while in high school.

There’s much more to learn and consider in this year’s report, which you can find here.