Introduction Anyone who has watched late night T.V. is probably familiar with advertisements urging viewers to get their life together by getting an education. Call now! Job security and a big paycheck supposedly wait at the end of a career training certificate program. These programs target veterans, low-income workers, laid-off
Chair Gardner, Vice Chair Williams, and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to submit written testimony on the state budget bill. I am a researcher with Policy Matters Ohio and I focus on policies that support working poor families. When higher education goes wrong, once-hopeful students can
Chair Hackett, Vice Chair Tavares, and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify on a relatively small but important provision in the state budget. My name is Hannah Halbert. I am a researcher with Policy Matters Ohio and I focus on policies that support working poor
Ohio’s recovery has been a slow slog since 2009. The state has added jobs, but has grown by a very meager 1.9 percent. That sluggish growth has not been enough to pull large numbers of workers back into the labor market. Ohio is still 200,000 workers short of its pre-recession
During the 2016 election, President Donald Trump promised to bring back blue-collar jobs. A new quarterly report from Policy Matters Ohio will monitor his progress. Blue collar industries historically produced relatively high-paying jobs mostly filled by white men without college degrees. States that voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012
Today representatives from the for-profit college industry will testify before the Ohio Senate Finance Subcommittee on Higher Education. Forthcoming research from Policy Matters Ohio raises serious questions about whether state aid should continue to support this sector. Career college programs are typically short-term and credential-based. They are offered at for-profit
Acosta has a history of acting along partisan lines After the failed nomination of Andrew Puzder for Secretary of Labor, the Trump administration put forward Alexander Acosta, dean of the Florida International University College of Law and former assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division under President George W.
Ohio experiences big job gains in February Ohio posted five-figure job gains in February, according to new data released today by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. In a much welcome departure from the sluggish growth that dogged the state in 2016, February brought an additional 15,200 jobs
Chairman Romanchuk, Ranking Member Sykes, and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify on a proposal that is not in the state budget, but perhaps should be. My name is Hannah Halbert. I am a researcher with Policy Matters Ohio and I focus on policies that
It can be jarring to learn that in wealthy America, people still skip meals or go hungry because they don’t have enough money to buy food. Ohio is tied for 6th in the nation for people in this excruciating position. The food assistance program (once called food stamps, now commonly
A new pathway to education and training for Ohio Ohio ranks sixth in the nation for people living with food insecurity. Amidst this crisis, state policymakers increased work search and work requirements for SNAP benefits, the supplemental nutrition assistance program once known as food stamps. A new report from Policy
Ohio has one state source for need-based financial aid — the Ohio College Opportunity Grant (OCOG). Lawmakers smartly increased OCOG funding, both in the last budget and in this one. In total, the Governor’s proposal increases need-based aid by $12.7 million (6.7 percent) over the next two years. By 2019,
