Navigating Ohio's Workforce Upskilling Initiatives

About the Guest:

Tricia Valasek works to promote workforce development and employer relations through her role at Raise the Bar Hancock County. With a focus on career readiness and employee development, she works on bridging the gap between education and employment by leveraging programs like IMAP and TechCred to benefit both employers and potential employees.

Episode Summary:

In this episode of "Chamber Amplified" from the Findlay-Hancock County Chamber of Commerce Doug Jenkins welcomes back Tricia Valasek to dive into innovative strategies for bolstering employee retention and recruitment for businesses in Findlay and Hancock County. As explored through the Individualized Micro Credential Assistance Program (IMAP) and TechCred, they discuss how these initiatives can enhance workforce skills at no cost, presenting a golden opportunity for local businesses to elevate their employee value proposition. Beyond that, they discuss the connection between local students and future employers provided by the YouScience program, showcasing ways to bridge local talent with growing industry demands.

Key Takeaways:

• IMAP offers Ohioans the opportunity to acquire micro-credentials in technology at no cost, adding significant value to both employees and employers. 
• TechCred allows employers to access reimbursement for staff training, presenting a dual .approach alongside IMAP for broadening skill sets within organizations.
• The YouScience program serves as a bridge between education and employment, linking students to potential employers and offering them insights into viable career paths.
• Taking advantage of government-funded workforce development programs can be crucial for businesses aiming to retain talent and stay competitive. 
• Employers are encouraged to focus on creating development pathways for employees as a means of enhancing retention and demonstrating investment in their workforce.

Music and sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com

Transcript

0:00:00 - (Doug Jenkins): Coming up next on Chamber Amplified, it.

0:00:02 - (Tricia Valasek): Shows that that employee and their knowledge is very valuable to that employer. So whether the employer is allowing that employee to go do this on maybe their company time versus an individual doing this on their own time, I'm sure that there's still some sort of incentive on the back end for that individual to earn this micro credential. So they could either maybe have a pay increase or they could find their way into an advanced role maybe with that company.

0:00:30 - (Doug Jenkins): Hello and welcome to the show. I'm Doug Jenkins from the Findlay Hancock County Chamber of Commerce. On each episode of Chamber Amplified, we're examining issues impacting the local business community. Whether it's employee recruitment and retention, marketing, it issues, it's really anything that can impact your business or organization. Our goal is to give our members tips each week on at least one way they can improve operations and thrive in the current business environment.

0:00:52 - (Doug Jenkins): And we're focused on employee retention. Once again, on this episode of Chamber Amplified. That's kind of a theme around here. I'm joined once again by Tricia Velasque of Raise the Bar Hancock county to talk about the IMAP program and how it differs from tech cred. Both programs are designed to help your employees broaden their skill sets, but they take different approaches, so we'll get into that.

0:01:12 - (Doug Jenkins): Here's the good news. IMAP helps credential employees at no cost. So that's a $0 investment that can have huge returns for your business in terms of retaining key employees. Now, I'm not good at doing math in my head. In fact, I've been advised several times against it, the especially like in a public setting like this. But I feel like that's a pretty good return. Trish and I are also going to talk about how you can build a pipeline of local talent using the YouScience program, which again, costs you $0.

0:01:38 - (Doug Jenkins): Combine that with the fact that you spent $0 to listen to this podcast today and we're just dishing out value. So you're welcome. Thanks again for tuning in. Remember, if you're listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, you can rate and review the show. It really does help spread the word. Now let's get into it. So the last time that we had you on, we talked about tech cred in Ohio and how employers can use that to as an employee retention tool and why that's good for them. Today we're talking about imap, which is a different thing.

0:02:07 - (Doug Jenkins): And as we were joking before, like I know IMAP is the email Server thing. But that's like an Internet dork reference. Very different when it comes to upskilling your employees. What is the IMAP program and how does it contrast to TechCred in Ohio?

0:02:21 - (Tricia Valasek): Sure, IMAP is short for Individualized Micro Credential Assistance Program and yes, so that's a mouthful. So IMAP is a much easier way to say this. TechCred is something that we've been talking to employers about around the community for a very long time. It's definitely an awesome way for employers to be reimbursed for their employees to go get training. In contrast, IMAP is when individuals themselves, any Ohioan who goes to a specific institution, it could be one of our community colleges or it could be another training provider in Ohio, but the state pays that trainer on your behalf.

0:03:08 - (Tricia Valasek): So it's a great way regardless for individuals to get some sort of certificate or again, a micro credential in a technology related field.

0:03:18 - (Doug Jenkins): Well then when you look at that from the standpoint of employee retention, even on the recruitment side, I think this would be beneficial. How does this help employee or employers hang on to key employees?

0:03:31 - (Tricia Valasek): Well, I think it's just a way to also provide that little value added. It shows that that employee and their knowledge is very valuable to that employer. So whether the employer is allowing that employee to go do this on maybe their company time versus an individual doing this on their own time, I'm sure that there's still some sort of incentive on the back end for that individual to earn this micro credential.

0:03:54 - (Tricia Valasek): So they could either maybe have a pay increase or they could find their way into an advanced role maybe with that company.

0:04:01 - (Doug Jenkins): We've talked to a lot of different subject matter experts when it comes to employee recruitment retention. Here on the podcast of one of the things that I hear time and time again, I know you've said it, I've heard other people say it, is that just showing that you're willing to invest in your employees is a really good way to hang on to them and let them know that they have value beyond whatever it is that dollar amount they're bringing in or that they're more than a cog in the machine.

0:04:28 - (Tricia Valasek): We suggest that all employers take advantage of some sort of program. I think Ohio has been infiltrated with dollars. Thank you to the government for investing in the workforce for so many years under Governor DeWine leadership. And I think that, you know, now is the time that if companies really want to take advantage of keeping employees, but also thinking very forward of where can I put this employee. As we grow, as we evolve, as technology is coming down, who can I put in charge of maybe having some sort of knowledge for our workplace? They're kind of the guru, expert, or just a new role that they can.

0:05:09 - (Doug Jenkins): Envision for that person for, I guess for local businesses. Have you seen examples of people getting into the IMAP program and what does that look like for them? What does the process for a business to get involved with that look like?

0:05:24 - (Tricia Valasek): Well, the best thing would be for a company to recommend those individuals that want to do IMAP to go to the State of Ohio's website for that. Because again, with imap, you have to work with approved training providers. Here in Northwest Ohio, we just added Northwest State Community College and also Bowling Green State University. But then there's a few that are online and they can be done around the state of Ohio. But you have to go through those specific places for this to be a free training for you.

0:05:56 - (Tricia Valasek): So people who are eligible, it can be high school students who are entering their junior or senior year. As long as what they're earning that credential isn't coming through a program like Milstream, Apollo or Penta, but again, any other Ohioan is eligible to do this. One of those other important details for individuals to think about is there are only a few different types of credentials that are offered under this program right now.

0:06:25 - (Tricia Valasek): TechCred, in contrast, has over 3,000 approved credentials or certificates that people in the state of Ohio have been working toward or in some sort of format. Imap, though, has a limited number of those different types of programs at this time. But I always see this program, it's continuing to grow and to evolve to meet the needs of Ohioans who are ready to go out and upskill bottom.

0:06:51 - (Doug Jenkins): Line, it's imperative for the business to really look at it, compare and contrast, see which program works better for them. And I'm sure you're willing to help walk them through that process as well.

0:07:01 - (Tricia Valasek): Absolutely. There's paperwork involved with both, and it's just where is that time going to be put? And as you mentioned, it's not the same. It's not the same program. So employers really do need to weigh out what they want to cover under maybe the Tech CRED program versus imap. What's awesome to think about is how you braid these two programs together to get even more financial gain from that, because Tech Cred is applying every couple months for a maximum dollar amount that's eligible per person.

0:07:32 - (Tricia Valasek): But if you want to supplement that with IMAP and have the individuals go directly to the training provider, then that's another way to again braid those fundings together.

0:07:42 - (Doug Jenkins): That's a really good point and a really good way to utilize the timing of different programs. While we're on the subject of employee recruitment retention, let's focus on the recruitment side and a conversation you and I had earlier today and talk a little bit about the YouScience program which is available to employers here in Finland Hancock county this is a great way to connect our people, our kids who are coming up through the pipeline of our area schools in career paths that are already available to them here close to home.

0:08:13 - (Doug Jenkins): It's maybe been a little while since we've talked about you science on the podcast, so let's, let's have you give a refresher on what the program is to begin with.

0:08:21 - (Tricia Valasek): You science is actually a nationally recognized career aptitude and interest assessment. It is being used nationwide right here in Hancock County. We have eight of the nine school districts using this platform in particular to help our local students understand their abilities and their interests when it comes to careers. When a student completes this assessment and mind you, the students have access to their data for 10 years.

0:08:53 - (Tricia Valasek): So the schools purchase it up front. The kids get it for 10 years even after graduation, they still have this. But when a student gets their results on their career aptitude and interest, let's say that student ends up in healthcare, they will be able to automatically see employers who have added their free profile to YouScience. It'll pop up like did you know this employer is in your community or within a certain geographical mileage that's been set in the system.

0:09:22 - (Tricia Valasek): So it's not only Hancock county students that are seeing who our employers are that relate to their career fields. It could be students from anywhere around the state of Ohio or even nationally depending upon how big of a mileage radius that they've put into the system. But let's talk about how easy that is then to reach thousands and thousands of youth who are looking for jobs or looking to connect with employers for job shadowing or internships or that first time job and just to have that profile automatically land right on their computer screen. I think it's a win win for marketing at a very affordable cost for this, for the businesses, but then for kids to have that free quick access to know who to contact locally.

0:10:06 - (Doug Jenkins): Yeah, that's a good point. So the ease of it, we set up a chamber profile and I think it took me five minutes and that's all I had to do. It's not a dashboard That I have to go back and check if a kid is interested in learning more about the Chamber of Commerce and what we do as a potential career path. Our information is there. They can send me an email directly through when they log into YouScience or they can give us a phone call. It's not something I have to go back and constantly check to see if anybody's tried to get in contact with us.

0:10:35 - (Tricia Valasek): Exactly. And I think that's all of us working individuals want, is one less thing that we have to log into to check up on. And so that profile is really brand awareness. It is your company's logo. You want it out there, you want people to have visibility of it, but as well as a brief introduction to your company, what you do, it's whatever you want to put into the system for people to look at. And that contact information should stay pretty broad in general so that it's not going to one person. And if they leave, you have to fix the system. There should always be those general email and phone number contacts for that.

0:11:08 - (Doug Jenkins): What's really interesting about the USCIENCE program to me is the aptitude test that it gives kids when they, I think are in eighth or ninth grade, when they take it really zones in on the things that they have skills on but also have interest in. There's a reason for that. You want them to be interested in it. But aptitudes don't change as much as interest. Interest, which is really the big selling point, I think for you science. And again, it's a selling point for the kids to be on and it's a selling point for the business to be on. But when we say selling point, you don't have to throw money at it. You just sign up for the free profile.

0:11:42 - (Doug Jenkins): But that aptitude part really, really I think goes a long way.

0:11:46 - (Tricia Valasek): It's all brain games. So kids are, and I mean any adult can go out and truly take this assessment on their own. I think It's a quick 50 or 75 for a user license, but it's pretty spot on. And you're doing numerical reasoning or verbal reasoning, spatial awareness, you know, where a dot will end up when you fold pages in origami. I mean there are many, many brain games that people can go through in this process to come down to like their aptitude. And then the careers have been paired with different aptitude levels.

0:12:18 - (Tricia Valasek): And I mean these are giant algorithms that are calculating all of this. But I would say when I did the assessment, it was pretty spot on and it has caught every one of the career moves that I have made at some point in my results.

0:12:31 - (Doug Jenkins): It's really interesting. My I did it too. It had me pegged for a science career, which actually probably would have been a career path, but I just, I talked so much that I ended up going in that direction. But again, free for businesses to take part in. We'll put a link to how you can sign up for that in the show. Notes for the podcast we'd really like to see more business as it's from a Chamber standpoint, it just makes sense being partnered with you science because it helps us keep homegrown talent to our area businesses and be that direct pipeline between them, be that resource. And like you said, they have access to the information for so long. So let's say they go away to college when they get done. All right, I've got my degree in finance. Well, what's, what's available back home?

0:13:15 - (Doug Jenkins): Or if they're interested, if their aptitudes line up with advanced manufacturing or something like that, they can come right out of high school and say, all right, that's a business that's looking like they're hiring. Maybe I can get in, do a quick little internship, something like that, and be on their way. It's a really, really powerful resource for people to use.

0:13:34 - (Tricia Valasek): When we think about where kids are when they're looking for jobs, it's on technology and resources like this. And the schools are doing everything they can to meet the state's requirements to prepare students for careers after they graduate. And I'll tell you, Hancock County Schools, Findlay City Schools, everyone is so on board with all of this career guidance and exploration that this is honestly one of the best times to be an employer in Hancock county. Because I feel like the energy is there, the willingness to investigate what else is in our own backyard is there. So I think companies need to be taking advantage of these small little programs that who knows what kind of doors it could be opening.

0:14:19 - (Doug Jenkins): Trisha, if people are interested in learning more about IMAP or you science, what's the best way to get in touch with you?

0:14:26 - (Tricia Valasek): Feel free to just shoot us an email. Our general email address is raisedhebarhancockmail.com I can respond to any of those. You can also visit our website@raisethebarhancock.org and if you're interested to look specifically at the state of Ohio, the best way to do that is right in the search bar to type in imap, IMAP Ohio. And that'll direct you to the information on which trainers can be counting towards this and which specific credentials.

0:15:01 - (Doug Jenkins): All right, Tricia, thanks as always for being a part of the podcast. We really appreciate your time.

0:15:05 - (Tricia Valasek): I appreciate it. Thank you.

0:15:08 - (Doug Jenkins): If you run a local business or organization of any size, you should really set aside like 10 minutes and set up your YouScience profile. Again, no cost, it's easy to do and your contact information is easy to reach for people who are could be your employees down the line. And again, that link to the YouScience program is in the show notes if you want to look that up and take care of that. A couple of housekeeping things before we get out. Over the next several weeks, we're going to run some best of episodes so we don't go dark over the holidays and while I'm at a conference. So we're going to dig into the archives we have. This is the 134th episode of Chamber Amplified. I never would have guessed we're going to be going into what our third year of the podcast here coming up in 2025. It's awesome. We appreciate all the feedback, happy to hear it and happy to keep doing this for you.

0:15:54 - (Doug Jenkins): But so instead of the feed going dark, we'll just have some best of episodes so if you've missed some in the past, you can catch up on them. Or maybe it's some information that you'd like to brush up on. I'll pick some good ones, I promise. Chamber Amplified is a free podcast for the community, thanks to the investment of members from the Findlay Hancock County Chamber of Commerce. Because of our robust membership, we're able to focus on providing timely information to the Findlay and Hancock County Business community, run leadership programs for adults and teenagers, and be an advocate for the area while also providing tools to help local businesses succeed. You know, I read that every week and you'd think I wouldn't stumble over it at this point, but here we are.

0:16:31 - (Doug Jenkins): If all of that sounds like something that you'd like to be a part of, just let me know and we can talk about how the investment in the Chamber helps strengthen not just your business or your organization, but it strengthens the community as a whole. That'll do it for this week's episode. If you have any ideas for topics you'd like to hear covered on future episodes, well, just send me an email. Djenkinsindleyhancockchamber.com

0:16:52 - (Doug Jenkins): thanks again for listening and we'll see you next time on Chamber Amplified. From the Findlay Hancock County Chamber of Commerce.