Virtual Gathering = Great Connections

Last week, AOMC held its first virtual Quarterly Gathering with 59 attendees from a wide swath of southeast Ohio, as far west as Meigs and Athens Counties, all the way up to Belmont and Guernsey Counties. Based on the feedback and information gathered, there is a huge desire to connect!

Stirling Ultracold learned how Miba connected directly with high school teachers through the Real World Problem Scenario program and very much wants to participate in Athens county. People from economic development, high schools, and manufacturers made plans to meet and share their ideas and programs. Participating educators definitely have a desire to know what specific skills manufacturers are looking for in a potential employee. A deeper discussion was had about NIMS credentialing with the Robert C. Byrd Institute, and we learned about the importance of accurate workforce data from Dorinda Byers. Dorinda will be launching a manufacturing workforce market study specific to Meigs, Athens, Noble, Morgan, Monroe, and Washington to gather accurate data about manufacturing workforce needs.

AOMC is supporting southeast Ohio manufacturers with their workforce needs at all levels of the workforce pipeline, and this quarterly meeting highlighted the three areas we are currently focusing on: credentials, high school engagement, and accurate workforce data. We work together to accomplish change that is critical to our economic future.

"From the perspective of an economic developer, AOMC is on the right path when it comes to addressing the current, and future workforce needs of manufacturers. Regionally, there are several manufacturing-based projects in the pipeline that require highly-skilled employees in occupations that have historically been the strength of this region such as industrial maintenance, I&E technicians, and machinists. With the integration of Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things in manufacturing, the AOMC's efforts to bridge the skills gap between our current strengths, and our future needs, is mission-critical work to the overall economic vitality of the Appalachian region of Ohio.” Jesse Roush, Executive Director of the Southeast Ohio Port Authority.

Thank you to all who attended and shared! We highly encourage you to become members of AOMC so that you can continue the conversation and be a part of the solution.