By implementing a demand-driven model in mid-2010, Employment Connection, the workforce-training agency for Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, has greatly improved the services it provides to local firms and workers, according to a new study by Policy Matters Ohio.
“Our findings suggest that Employment Connection has built a model that effectively connects job seekers to employers in a tough economy,” said Hannah Halbert, report author and workforce researcher with Policy Matters. “The model works because it is closely tailored to the agency’s clients, local employers, and the regional economy.”
The report shows that the share of Employment Connection clients finding jobs nearly doubled to 84 percent of those who exited the program. In 2011, 2,470 found jobs, up from 471 in 2009, a five-fold increase. The agency’s new approach emphasizes employer-connected, shorter-term, on-the-job training over its traditional model, which focuses on individual training. The study also found that earnings for agency clients have rebounded from a low point in 2009.
“The improvements we found have happened in spite of a shrinking budget and staff, and in a period of relatively low regional job growth,” said Halbert. “The state could play a larger role in helping local areas bridge this relationship gap by supporting sector partnerships that bring together diverse stakeholders.”
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