Working together was the key to success for the Great Lakes Industry Sector Partnership (GLISP) WorkAdvance program administered by Great Lakes Community Action Partnership (GLCAP) that provided workforce training to nearly 200 participants in northwest Ohio since 2023.

GLCAP/GLISP was recognized with a Collaboration Award on May 13 by the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA) for its work as a partner in the OMA’s Good Jobs Challenge grant that supported WorkAdvance. 

After being funded through a Good Jobs Challenge grant through the U.S. Economic Development Administration in 2022, the OMA collaborated with multiple industry sector partnerships throughout Ohio for the WorkAdvance initiative to provide training and link job-seekers to careers in advanced manufacturing.

GLCAP Planning & Development Coordinator Kerrie Carte connected with the OMA to see how GLCAP might collaborate. The connection led to the OMA partnering with GLCAP, which launched its WorkAdvance program in 2023 to serve participants in Crawford, Ottawa, Sandusky, Seneca, and Wyandot counties. 

“We knew that manufacturers in our area were in need of skilled workers and had available positions to fill,” Carte said. “Partnering with the OMA allowed GLCAP/GLISP to support workers and manufacturers in our region and do our part in promoting and filling manufacturing careers throughout the state.”

Over the course of GLCAP’s three-year program: 

• 184 participants took part in WorkAdvance
• 71 participants completed welding trainings and/or OSHA 10 trainings
• 50 students completed welding certification training in five different welding cohorts in partnership with Terra State Community College
• 40 participants completed upskilling
• 122 participants were connected to new careers through job placement, or were upskilled to receive a wage increase or promotion at their place of employment

In addition to dedicated welding trainings, WorkAdvance provided additional trainings in fields including robotics, electrical systems troubleshooting, maintenance mechanic, and other domains to meet the needs of local employers. Specialized trainings also included Mathematics for the Trades, National Institute for Metalworking Skills, and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts manufacturing frontline worker training.

Those who were connected to jobs through placement received an average wage of $22.25, while those who were upskilled through training were able to attain an average wage of $32.34.

Participants in the program worked one-on-one with GLCAP career coaches Jamie Collins and Angela Long, who helped connect participants to trainings that led to new careers or better positions at manufacturers such as Crown Battery, Standard Technologies, Whirlpool, and more. Workforce Specialist Mallory Pena attributed much of the program’s success to the relationships forged with local employers such as these.

“I think we achieved good results because we’ve built a good rapport with the surrounding manufacturing businesses,” Pena said. “Manufacturers worked with us to try the program out, saw the program’s success, and continued to work with GLCAP throughout the program.”

Along with GLCAP/GLISP the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association partnered with 16 Ohio industry sector partners on the WorkAdvance program. Over the course of the program, these partners trained 5,145 workers and placed 4,290 individuals in advanced manufacturing jobs with an average wage of $21.20 per hour. The WorkAdvance program finalizes on June 30.