Ohio TechNet was a part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant program, a multiyear, nearly $2 billion investment in community colleges nationwide to expand targeted training programs for transitioning adults, especially veterans, the under-employed and those impacted by foreign trade.
The TAACCCT initiative is key to solving the nation’s skills gap. The funding provided to Ohio TechNet is the only statewide consortium investment made in Ohio and it leveraged $40 million in TAACCCT investments to Ohio’s community colleges. In addition to the Ohio TechNet consortium schools, Clark State, North Central State and Northwest State also received TAACCCT funding in Ohio. Our results will shape future policy and investments.
All grantees were required to partner with employers to develop or redesign training programs to help workers learn skills that lead to family-supporting jobs. Partnerships with local employers of all sizes, as well as with OhioMeansJobs and community-based organizations such as Goodwill Industries, Urban League and the United Way, assisted in getting many Ohioans access to more internships, apprenticeships, and job-relevant basic skills training in order to move up the career ladder into better-paying jobs that employers across Ohio are looking to fill.
Ohio TechNet community college partners worked with business and industry to upskill 2,200+ low-wage, low-skill workers and expand competency-based accelerated training pathways to in-demand jobs in advanced manufacturing.