Last week, we had the privilege of welcoming Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jim Tressel to Cincinnati as part of the statewide WorkOhio Job Connector Tour. Across the seven regional WorkOhio hubs, the Job Connector Tour is designed to showcase the training providers and available career opportunities that jobseekers can connect to through WorkOhio.
As the WorkOhio Southwest Regional Hub leader, the Workforce Innovation Center partnered with two of the region’s construction industry leaders, O’Rourke Wrecking Company and Skanska, as well as the University of Cincinnati to welcome the Lieutenant Governor for a site visit at the Crosley Tower demolition project. Following the site visit, we were joined by leaders from construction employers across the region, community-based partners, and other key WorkOhio stakeholders for a workforce roundtable with the Lieutenant Governor and his team.
The Crosley Tower Site Visit
The University of Cincinnati’s Crosley Tower demolition project, led by O’Rourke Wrecking Company and Skanska, is one of the region’s largest active construction projects. As a part of the Job Connector Tour, the site visit showcased a sample of career opportunities available within Southwest Ohio’s construction workforce.
During the visit, Lt. Governor Tressel toured the demolition site and met with members of the construction team to learn about the skills, training, and career pathways that support projects of this scale.
“The work happening at Crosley Tower is exciting – not only because of the scale of the project itself, but also the opportunities it is creating for the University of Cincinnati and the Southwest Ohio region as a whole,” said Lt. Governor Tressel. “This project is just one example of just how much demand there is right now for skilled workers in construction. These are exactly the kinds of opportunities we are looking to connect people to through WorkOhio.”
The event focused on the many ways individuals can enter and advance within the construction industry including opportunities for university co-op students, college graduates, trade school graduates, skilled craft professionals, equipment operators, and project managers. The project itself reflects the variety of careers available within construction and demonstrates the industry’s continued demand for skilled workers.
The Crosley Tower site also represents a future vision for Southwest Ohio’s workforce growth. Following demolition and site remediation, the university plans to construct a new STEM Academic Facility that will support the next generation of engineers, scientists, researchers, and manufacturing professionals.
The Workforce Roundtable
Following the site visit, the Workforce Innovation Center convened a workforce roundtable with Lt. Governor Tressel and his team, community-based workforce partners, and construction industry leaders for a discussion focused on the region’s construction workforce and the WorkOhio Southwest Hub’s efforts to collaboratively serve job seekers.
The WorkOhio Southwest Regional Hub
The conversation kicked off with insights about the WorkOhio Southwest Regional Hub’s experience serving program participants.
The Workforce Innovation Center shared their experience coordinating the Southwest Hub partners’ services, referrals, and outreach across the region’s five counties. The discussion highlighted the advantage and importance of strong relationships with committed community partners including The Care Center, Easterseals Redwood, OhioMeansJobs, The United Way of Greater Cincinnati, and the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio for the success of this work. When serving a varied population of job seekers with a wide range of personal and professional experience, like the pool of WorkOhio participants, strong partnerships with community-based organizations are key to delivering truly personalized support for job seekers at all levels.
Community-based partners within the Southwest Hub shared several examples of the program’s impact, including success stories from job seekers who were able to connect with employers and find employment through their referrals.
Southwest Ohio – Construction Industry Insights
The conversation then shifted to focus on the region’s construction workforce, with local employers lending their voices to share their perspective of the industry’s talent needs.
During this discussion, Lt. Governor Tressel noted that construction and skilled trades employers in Southwest Ohio are reporting positive hiring activity and strong demand for workers. He also emphasized the importance of multiple pathways to entry and success to meet Ohio’s workforce needs. While skilled trades are a critical component of the state’s economy, the Lt. Governor stressed the importance of supporting a variety of educational and career options that help individuals find the path that best aligns with their goals and the needs of employers throughout the state.
To that end, the industry leaders around the table highlighted their efforts to foster early exposure of students to construction careers through job site visits, career fairs, and hands-on experiences that help young people understand the opportunities available in the skilled trades.
The discussion also touched on transportation as a significant barrier for many workers pursuing construction careers, particularly when job sites sit outside urban centers. Community-based workforce partners highlighted the availability of programs that help individuals access transportation during training and stressed the importance of addressing transportation challenges to support long-term employment success.
The Takeaway
The Cincinnati stop on the WorkOhio Job Connector Tour showcased the breadth of construction careers in Southwest Ohio, the strength of our regional workforce ecosystem, and the collaborative efforts underway to connect job seekers with meaningful careers.
Through partnerships among employers, educators, workforce organizations, and community leaders, the WorkOhio Southwest Regional Hub continues to help job seekers reach their full potential while supporting the talent needs of businesses across the region.
Job seekers can connect to personalized support and trusted employment resources through WorkOhio by visiting WorkOhio.gov, and employers interested in accessing a new talent pipeline of WorkOhio participants can join the Southwest Regional Hub’s Employer Partner Network on our website.
By: Jackson Fort
Coordinator, Workforce Innovation Center at the Cincinnati Regional Chamber
