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!