Governor Strickland Visits Employment Connection
Governor Ted Strickland & Senator Sherrod Brown Talk about Stimulus Success and Employer Engagement at Employment Connection
On Monday, January 11th Employment Connection, the Cleveland/Cuyahoga public workforce system, hosted Governor Ted Strickland, Senator Sherrod Brown and others at a media event geared toward highlighting the many successes of stimulus dollars in our local community.
Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown visited Employment Connection to discuss the state and federal government's job retraining efforts in Cleveland. Project HIRE, a state recovery initiative created this past spring through American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's Workforce Investment Act funds, helps provide worker retraining programs and connects Ohio job seekers with potential employers.
"Project HIRE represents what the Recovery Package is all about - putting people back to work and investing in regional economies," Sen. Brown said. "By training Ohio workers for the jobs in high-growth industries, we can strengthen our workforce and bring new jobs and economic development to our state. This is a great example of how the recovery package can address the economic downturn while allowing Ohio to emerge from it more prepared for the 21st Century economy."
"Ohioans who work for a living have been knocked down by this global recession. … we need to provide everyday Ohioans with every opportunity to obtain the knowledge and skills they need to find good jobs and sustainable careers," Gov. Strickland said. "Project HIRE is a federal-state partnership that's working."
Additional guest speakers at the event included employers who have benefited through a partnership with Employment Connection. The speakers included, Brian Cato, Sr. VP of S.P. Data, Denise Smudla of Jennings Center for Older Adults, Gayle Agahi, who represented Toby Cosgrove, CEO of Cleveland Clinic and John Nahornyj of Ford Motor Company.
These employers provided testimonials and praised the Cleveland/Cuyahoga Workforce Investment Board, Executive Director Larry Benders and Staff for their active role in building demand facing initiatives which provide a win-win for both the community’s job seekers and employers. Each speaker not only discussed their successes with Employment Connection, but also expressed the support for the new Project HIRE initiative.
Governor Strickland and Senator Brown also applauded the Cleveland/Cuyahoga Summer Youth Employment Initiative, funded with ARRA dollars. Over 4,800 youth were placed in jobs at more than 350 employer locations thanks to the stimulus funding of 2009. More than 20 youth attended the event as representatives of the success of that program and the achievement of our young people. The Governor and Senator Brown both congratulated the youth on a job well done!
For more information on local access to Project HIRE please contact Mike Daly, Business Project Leader, at 216-420-7615.
