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Police accuse bank robbery suspect of gobbling up note (with dashcam video)
Victim of beating in Kent last week is declared dead at Akron hospital
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
Can DNA tests free ex-Akron captain?
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
Browns' roster nearly devoid of consistent players
Coventry man killed in crash at I-77 ramp
Does it work? Test team returns to try out new products advertised on television
Blogs:
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Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Night Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
Browns vs. Lions live …
Akron Zips:
Akron trounces Howard to reach .500
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Robiskie, Harrison inactive
Kent State Sports:
Kent State blown out in second half, loses to Temple 47-13
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Four area football teams play tonight
All Da King's Men:
The Sunday Sanity Challenge
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Will Health Care Reform Pass?
Akron Law Café:
Health Care Financing Reform: (69) The Brookings Institute Study on "Bending the Curve" – Four General Strategies
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
George is looking for a Thanksgiving buffet in Akron.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
A Random Rant on Testing
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
The machinery for aiding displaced workers grinds inefficiently in Ohio
Published on Wednesday, Feb 13, 2008
Unfortunately, the worker training services in Ohio are not up to the challenge. A study by Policy Matters Ohio released this month found several shortcomings in the state's management of resources from the federal Workforce Investment Act. There's no excuse for the weakness of the program. The need for worker services is much recognized and urgent.
Ted Strickland understands the urgency to improve the services. As a candidate for governor, he cited Ohio ranking next to last among the states in its use of federal WIA resources, spending 59 percent of federal allocations for work force training. The new report identified more weaknesses.
Ohio carries over large balances from year to year, particularly in Rapid Response funds, used to provide information and services to workers notified of layoffs. In the 2006-07 program year, the state spent a mere $10.5 million of the $29 million available.
Ohio serves far fewer workers than states with smaller populations, and Rapid Response is not standardized across the state. Further, there's poor coordination between the federal and state work force programs. Between 2003 and 2006, the number of workers referred from the state re-employment program to the federal training and education program dropped from 1,400 to fewer than 100.
To its credit, the Strickland team has made improvements the past year. Ohio needs every dollar it can muster to train new as well as dislocated workers. Under a new federal law, the state could lose work force funds it does not spend. The Policy Matters Ohio study serves well in pointing out how Ohio can serve its workers more effectively.
Get the full article here.
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