“We work on whatever initiatives related to workforce that make sense for a volunteer organization to do that helps our members solve their workforce challenges,” Angelia Erbaugh, president of the DRMA, said in an interview.
DRMA representatives go into schools to speak with students and teachers about manufacturing. They encourage member companies to open their doors to students, not just on “Manufacturing Day” in October, but all year long.
The trade association also works with career tech centers and others on creating training regimens that lead to credentials for students, credentials meant to reassure prospective employers that students have been trained to answer real manufacturing needs.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a three-person shop or Crown Equipment in New Bremen with (thousands) of employees — it’s still a challenge for them to find workers, qualified workers," Erbaugh said.
“It makes a whole lot of sense for our 200 manufacturers in our membership to work together to do that, instead of each company trying to do that on their own,” she added.
The DRMA, which includes Springfield employees, consistently finds in annual surveys of members that workforce tops their list of things to worry about.
In all, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced that 35 similar workforce partnerships will receive a total of $5.1 million through what the state calls its “Industry Sector Partnership” grant.
The 35 awarded partnerships will focus on multiple industry sectors such as manufacturing, IT, transportation and healthcare.
“The best way to ensure a community thrives is by investing in its people,” DeWine said in a statement. “Over the past five years, we have made significant investments in these workforce partnerships to tackle challenges in both education and workforce development. We are investing in collaboration so more opportunities can be created for Ohioans.”
Other area recipients include the Western Ohio Healthcare Industry Sector Partnership, in Montgomery County; the Western Ohio Technology Industry Sector Partnership, in Greene County; the Skilled Trades Industry Partnership in Warren County, and Butler County’s RISEconnect, which works with companies in health, education, manufacturing and logistics.
Since 2019, Ohio has invested in 63 such partnerships, for a total of $12.5 million.
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