Axios Event: Ohio leaders talk workforce development in a changing economy

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Speakers explained how they are approaching career preparation as a key regional priority at an Axios event.

Why it matters: Changes to the workforce, technology and economy are shifting expectations for the job market, and educators are trying to meet the moment to prepare students for future jobs.

Axios' Erica Pandey and Alissa Widman Neese spoke with Ohio Excels president Lisa Gray, Columbus State Community College president David Harrison and Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther at the June 26 event, sponsored by JPMorgan Chase.

What they're saying: "I think the workforce is changing significantly," said Gray. "I think there's a lot of messaging and communications that we're not getting through to kids and families and frankly our educators about what it is that kids are going to need to be successful."

• Helping students better understand the breadth of job opportunities available to them early is a way to prepare them to enter the changing workforce, Gray said.

State of play: As an educator, Harrison said some of the top priority fields for developing the workforce pipeline include information technology, engineering technology and health care. Intel's semiconductor plant project in Ohio is set to bring many advanced manufacturing jobs to the area in the coming years.

• Those jobs "have been a priority for our region for a long time, and Intel kind of gave it a brand," Harrison said.

Zoom out: Ginther explained the central role workforce development played in Columbus' post-pandemic economic recovery plan.

• "We knew that when we were thinking about a recovery that we wanted it to be dynamic and inclusive, and at the core of that is workforce and preparation, and investing in people," Ginther said.

Content from the sponsored segment:

In a View From the Top conversation, Jeremy Young, JPMorgan Chase Ohio Market Leadership Team co-chair and J.P. Morgan Wealth Management regional director, explained how Ohio industry prowess has changed.

• "When we think about [how] the opportunity for us has evolved, it might have [gone] from agricultural manufacturing to advanced manufacturing to tech," Young said. "So as a state, we have to continue to evolve."