The Problem
Ohio has over 200,000 unfilled jobs, and most of them don't require a four-year college degree. They require skills training, certifications, and real apprenticeship opportunities that connect workers directly to employers who need them. The problem isn't a lack of willing workers. The problem is a broken pipeline between education, training, and the job market.
Franklin County's unemployment rate looks modest on paper, but underemployment and wage stagnation tell a different story. Workers are stuck in jobs that don't pay enough and don't lead anywhere, not because they lack ambition, but because the system hasn't invested in creating real pathways for them. Meanwhile, displaced workers, from manufacturing, retail, or other contracting industries, have few retraining options that are affordable and fast enough to be practical.
Stacie's Plan
- Tax incentives for companies that partner with state colleges and trade unions: including the Ohio AFL-CIO and Ohio Building Trades, to create apprenticeship programs and well-paying jobs
- Fund structured apprenticeship pipelines in skilled trades, construction, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing so workers earn while they learn
- Create formal partnerships between Ohio community colleges and local employers to develop curriculum that matches actual hiring needs, not theoretical ones
- Build high school-to-career pathways that give graduates a clear road to a good-paying job without requiring a four-year degree
- Support Ohio workers through the Ohio AFL-CIO and Ohio Building Trades, the labor partners who are already training the next generation of skilled workers
- Invest in workforce retraining for displaced workers, fast, affordable, and tied to real job placement outcomes
Built on Real Partnerships
Stacie Baker has spent 15 years in Franklin County government, working alongside the Ohio AFL-CIO, Ohio Building Trades, employers, and educators to build real programs for real workers. He knows the difference between a workforce initiative that creates careers and one that creates press releases.
His approach is straightforward: give companies a tax incentive to partner with unions and colleges, build the apprenticeship pipeline, and let Ohioans earn their way into the middle class. That is how you fill 200,000 open jobs, and how you make sure those jobs pay well and lead somewhere.
