Manufacturing Sector Partnership

About the Program

Category: Community and Economic Development (Best in Category)

Year: 2022

A new sector partnership in Cuyahoga County, Ohio has ramped up access to careers in manufacturing, and transformed the way businesses and workforce partners work together. The Manufacturing Sector Partnership launched in 2019 to address huge needs for manufacturing workers, expand residents’ access to well-paying jobs, and support closing the racial income and employment gap in the county. Its signature program, ACCESS to Manufacturing, prepares re-entry citizens and “opportunity youth” to be hired by one of the 58 manufacturers participating in the partnership. More than 50 public and non-profit partners collaborate on worker outreach and support. Thus far, 80 individuals have graduated from the program, with higher-than-average job retention and zero recidivism. Employers designed the curriculum and see real value: “Program grads compared to others are like night and day.” Many partnership employers revised policies to permit hiring re-entry workers, improved inclusivity of workplaces and raised wages. Additionally, by more deeply connecting manufacturers to existing training programs, and supporting student/jobseeker exposure to manufacturing, ~400 more workers have been hired into manufacturing careers. Informed by this success, public/private/philanthropic partners – led by the County team -- launched three new sector partnerships (IT, healthcare, and hospitality) between August 2020 and January 2022