PEOPLE WORKS PAYS FOR EMPLOYERS AND RESIDENTS OF FRANKLIN COUNTY
Mike Hochron, Policy Analyst to Franklin County Commissioner Marilyn Brown
Franklin County is thriving, but many businesses are struggling to find the employees they need to succeed. Yet despite low unemployment numbers, the poverty rate is too high and many residents struggle to enter into our growing job market. Franklin County Commissioners Marilyn Brown, Paula Brooks, and John O’Grady have developed a solution to help both employers and residents get ahead. It’s called People Works.
“We’ve had a lot of successful development in Franklin County in recent years,” said Franklin County Economic Development and Planning Director, James Schimmer. “But a segment of our residents was missing out on the benefits of that development. At the same time, companies were telling us that they couldn’t find qualified employees.”
People Works connects employers looking for a motivated, trained workforce with county social services clients. The Commissioners worked with the Franklin County Economic Development team to develop a group of initiatives that help these residents transition to long-term employment that pays a living wage.
People Works addresses the problem on three fronts. First are county grant funds now available to companies in Central Ohio to offset the costs of training new employees if they create a set number of new jobs and hire county assistance clients.
Second is grant funding for groups of employers in an industry that see a “skills gap” preventing them from filling open positions. Employers receive funds to develop training programs that prepare participants to work in their industry, result in a marketable credential, and offer first priority at new jobs at the participating businesses.
Lastly, the commissioners created the new position of Workforce Navigator to act as a single point of service for Franklin County employers interested in hiring social services clients. The Workforce Navigator works with all participating People Works businesses and with county human services agencies to match businesses that are looking for high-quality staff with trained, dedicated potential employees.
“Many of our residents face significant barriers to finding good, lasting employment,” said Commissioner Marilyn Brown. “But they can be great employees with the right training and employers who give them the chance to apply it. We support Franklin County businesses to give them that chance, and they get loyal, hard-working employees in return. People Works is good for families, good for business, and good for Franklin County.”
