Cuyahoga County Workforce Service Recognized by Brookings Institution as Solution to Skills Gap

CLEVELAND - Nov. 1, 2017 - PRLog -- Cuyahoga County's SkillUp service was recognized by the Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program as a best practice in their Help Wanted report addressing Middle Market company challenges.

"We have thousands of good jobs that are open because employers say they can't find employees with the right skills and training," said Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish. "Our new SkillUp service helps our residents build rewarding and successful careers. SkillUp is a nationally-recognized tool to help our residents get the added training needed to obtain a great job. The County will help people in entry level jobs move up by subsidizng additional training. SkillUp helps fulfull one of my key strategic priorities - to make our region's workforce a competitive advantage."

SkillUp helps employers address their skill needs by providing capacity, resources, and expertise - particularly valuable for middle market companies. One of the two initiatives featured in the report, SkillUp helps employers create advancement opportunities as worker skills increase, and reimburse employers for approved training and credentialing costs.

"The unique value SkillUp provides is a service that helps employers of any size provide workers with relevant skills and experience, both highlighted in the Brookings report as top recruiting challenges," said David Feinerman, Head of Workforce Innovation for Cuyahoga County.

Since the initiative's launch in February 2017, the SkillUp advisory team has provided personalized training solutions to 38 employers in Cuyahoga County. Additionally, participating workers have experienced annualized median wage increases of about $2,600, while the County has received increased annual taxable income yielding at least twice its investment.

Employers interested in learning more should contact the SkillUp team at (216) 443-6930 or SkillUp@cuyahogacounty.us.