Building Bridges Between Jobs and People: Facilitating Collaboration to Address Workforce Gaps

Streamed Session

Session Materials

Brief Abstract

Discover how MERLOT-SkillsCommons, Ohio TechNet (OTN) and education-industry partners are modeling innovative strategies to fill in-demand, skilled jobs in advanced manufacturing. Explore strategies accelerating innovation to fill today’s demands for high-tech manufacturing jobs. Learn how OTN’s partnership with MERLOT-SkillsCommons and the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA) is creating a portal of Free training resources of relevant and vetted content for Ohio’s workforce training programs. 

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Rick Lumadue, California State University - Long Beach

Co-presenter: Maria Fieth, MERLOT-SkillsCommons

Maria Fieth, M.A.2, RTC Maria currently serves as program manager responsible for partnership development for California State University-MERLOT SkillsCommons. During the last 28 years, Maria has worked with businesses and PK-20 educators providing guidance for refining and sustaining healthy learning and working environments and building partnerships and community among stakeholders. Maria's background in federally funded project management provides a strong backdrop for national level accountability and performance. Her work has received honors for building exemplary educational settings and community partnerships from Kevin Jennings of the U.S. Department of Education and Auburn University among others. Maria holds a dual Master's degree in English and in Education, a Master's degree in Psychodynamics and certifications in Reality Therapy and from the National Institute for School Leadership. She has numerous certifications as national trainer for organizations such as Ruby Payne's Poverty Framework, Olweus Bullying Prevention, Discovery Communication Model, and Crucial Conversations.

Co-presenter: Gerry Hanley, California State University - Long Beach/ MERLOT/ SkillsCommons

Gerard L. Hanley Ph.D. is the Executive Director of MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching, www.merlot.org) and SkillsCommons (www.skillscommons.org) for the California State University, the Director for the Center for Usability for Design and Accessibility and Professor of Psychology at California State University, Long Beach. At MERLOT and SkillsCommons, he directs the development and sustainability of the international consortium and technology strategy to provide open educational services to improve teaching and learning and continues to development the US Department of Labor's open repository of educational resources for workforce development. Gerry's previous positions include Assistance Vice Chancellor for Academic Technology Services at the CSU Office of the Chancellor, the Director of Faculty Development and Director of Strategy Planning at CSU, Long Beach.

Extended Abstract

Discover how MERLOT-SkillsCommons, Ohio TechNet (OTN) and education-industry partners are modeling innovative strategies to fill in-demand, skilled jobs in advanced manufacturing. Explore strategies accelerating innovation to fill today’s demands for high-tech manufacturing jobs. Learn how OTN’s partnership with MERLOT-SkillsCommons and the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA) is creating a portal of Free training resources of relevant and vetted content for Ohio’s workforce training programs. 

Ohio TechNet (OTN) is a consortium of career technical centers, Ohio Technical Centers, community colleges and universities that have partnered with The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA) and other state and national partners to make Ohio a leader in solving our manufacturing workforce shortage.

To build Ohio’s manufacturing talent pipeline, the Ohio Manufacturing Workforce Partnership (OMWP) is leading a statewide initiative to upskill 5,000 Ohioans with innovative earn-and-learn (apprenticeship) strategies. OMWP is a collaboration between Ohio TechNet (OTN), a consortium of Ohio’s community colleges and other post-secondary education institutions, and The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA), which facilitates the statewide network of manufacturer-led regional sector partnerships. OMWP’s earn-and-learn programs are currently supported by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), through its Scaling Apprenticeship Through Sector-Based Strategies initiative, which provided a $12 million grant.