Barbara Moran, who heads Nursing Services at Lake Hospital System says healthcare workers are in very short supply.
BARBARA MORAN: Right now, the critical things are nurses and aides from a direct patient care standpoint.
Mounting medical costs, coupled with advanced treatment techniques have shortened patient stays and sped-up the profession she entered 30 years ago. But, Moran says, area schools haven't been keeping up with the talent that she needs on the hospital floor.
BARBARA MORAN: The things that the aides are dealing with, rather than being at a kind of steady level, they change rapidly. And, because of that, the aides weren't taught everything that they needed to do.
In response to employers like Barbara Moran, the Strickland administration has divided the state into 12 economic development districts --- each charged with bridging the gap between what local employers need and what schools are providing. The three Northeast Ohio districts are pooling their resources under the newly-formed Regional Talent Network, headed by David Shute.
DAVID SHUTE: I saw a headline in a local paper over the weekend that said something to the effect that the reason that there are so many unemployed is because there are no jobs. That's just simply not true. There are tens of thousands of jobs.
So, what's going on here? Employers have jobs they need to fill. Schools prepare students for the world of work. Why is there a disconnect? Shute says a big part of the problem is that, for years, area governments, social service agencies, colleges and career centers have come up with separate patches to the problem of unemployment. And that leaves employers confused.
DAVID SHUTE: The employer may be dealing with 17 different agencies and not-for-profits and local officials, each with their own proposal process.
Shute points to Lakeland Community College's Healthcare Career Pathways program as an example of how to do it right. For the first time, job trainers ranging from employment one-stops to universities are collaborating to help get qualified people into the jobs pipeline. Linn Gahr directs the Lakeland program.
LIN GAHR: I think the hallmark is the collaboration with the educational institutions. We like to say, from GED to PhD, so that we're all speaking to one another about the specifics of what the needs are and how we can address them and what best practices are out there.
In addition, the healthcare jobs program at Lakeland is mirrored by efforts being developed at Cuyahoga Community College, where the specialty is manufacturing, and Lorain County Community College, where the emphasis is on Information Technology. By focusing on specific training needs, the three schools aren't competing with each other.
LINN GAHR: There's a huge workforce that requires training. There are great needs out there and there are plenty of customers for all of us.
Like Mark Stamper who is heading to a new career as a Respiratory Therapist.
MARK STAMPER: I never actually heard of respiratory therapy; you don't ever hear about it on TV or anything.
A victim of corporate downsizing, Mark Stamper drifted through a series of pick-up jobs until he hooked-up with Lakeland's Health Career Pathways program. Stamper's now finishing up coursework and preparing to take his board exams.
MARK STAMPER: I'm excited about the future. I know right now it's tough out there for a lot of people, like people in construction…housing's messed up…and the auto industry. But, I can only look up and be optimistic.
David Shute says the goal of the Regional Talent Network is to further streamline the employment process for both job seekers and providers. Shute's work is being backed by a coalition of Northeast Ohio foundations known as the Fund for Our Economic Future. With the clout of all of those funders behind him, he says he's able to get all the players to the table to work out their differences. Lorain Community College's Jim Shanahan says those differences need to be worked out in a hurry.
JIM SHANAHAN: Presumably, the Economic Recovery Act, in a very short period of time by government standards is going to rain a lot of training dollars down to the local level here in Ohio. We need to be ready to work around all the traditional barriers to getting something done…in order to get it done.
