Annual Summit 2024 - From Job Quality to Economic Mobility: Key Insights from the Talent Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati Summit
From Job Quality to Economic Mobility: Key Insights from the Talent Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati Summit
The Talent Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati held its first summit to bring together people, employers, and workforce professionals to discuss regional challenges and opportunities. The day featured speakers from the National Fund for Workforce Solutions and The Brookings Institution, with a focus on career navigation, job quality, and youth employment.
The summit opened with networking and local updates on workforce initiatives, including an introduction to Hamilton County's workforce efforts, an AARP grant update, and information about NKY Works.
Michelle Wilson - National Fund for Workforce Solutions led an interactive session on innovative approaches to career navigation. She explored how systemic barriers, particularly occupational segregation and varying job quality, limit career advancement and discussed strategies for building more inclusive workplaces.
Ryan Donahue - The Brookings Institution, presented on the constant challenge facing regions across the United States: "the hollowing out of middle-wage jobs". For decades, labor market growth has concentrated at the top and bottom of the wage scale, while many middle-skill, middle-income opportunities have disappeared. Factors such as automation, outsourcing, declining unionization, and changing corporate structures have contributed to this trend.
Kathy Burkhardt - Executive Director of NaviGo College and Career Prep - Learning Grove, JoAnne Dwyer - Workforce Development Director - Santa Marie Community Services, Amy Thompson - President/CEO - Cincinnati Youth Collaborative (TCGC Steering Committee), Ebony Young - Senior Vice President of Impact - Urban League of Southwestern Ohio -discussed meaningful ways to connect and employ young workers in the region.
Both presentations pointed to the same conclusion: Greater Cincinnati can strengthen economic mobility by focusing on quality jobs, reducing barriers to advancement, and building a more connected workforce ecosystem. When employers, educators, workforce organizations, and community partners work together to improve jobs and support career growth, both workers and businesses benefit.
