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A panel of economists says that schools in Ohio aren鈥檛 producing workers that match employers鈥� needs.

The state鈥檚 labor force has declined by 91,000 between 2000 and 2020, the survey said. During that period, the state鈥檚 education system has changed markedly.

Since Republican John Kasich became governor in 2011, Ohio has diverted billions from traditional public schools. Ranked in K-12 education the year before Kasich took office, Ohio schools by 2023.

Ohio also created such as the , which collapsed in 2018. The state couldn鈥檛 verify the politically connected school鈥檚 claims of student enrollment, much less whether kids were learning anything.

The state also is now spending in taxpayer money on private schools, while the state鈥檚 traditional public schools last year saw their .

In the midst of these radical changes to the Ohio鈥檚 education system, it still is not adequately preparing students to join the workforce, economists surveyed by Scioto Analysis said.

Eighteen were asked whether they agreed that 鈥淢isalignment between Ohio鈥檚 education and workforce training systems and employer skill demands is limiting statewide job growth.鈥� Eleven agreed, three disagreed and four were uncertain or had no opinion.

In the comment section of the survey, David Brasington of the University of Cincinnati said that Ohioans tend not to have gone very far in school. He added that even when they train for certain jobs, their training and the jobs available to them often don鈥檛 match.

鈥淥hio has pretty low educational attainment compared to other states, and even 40% of Ohio workers trained for manufacturing jobs tend not to get manufacturing jobs within a year, consistent with a mismatch of skills and demand for skills,鈥� Brasington wrote.

Educational attainment 鈥� or how far people go in school 鈥� can be important to employers in several ways. Some need students to go far enough to attain a basic education and possibly vocational training. Others need workers who have been to college.

U.S. News and World Report puts Ohio at in its rankings of educational attainment 鈥� well into the bottom half of states.

Bill Lafayette, an economist with Regionomics, said schools and employers need to work closely to address the problem.

鈥淏ased on my work with educational institutions, linkages between these institutions and business need to be enhanced,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淚t has always been important for graduates to leave school with the work-ready skills (communication, responsibility, integrity, leadership, teamwork, etc.) that can spell the difference between success and failure in a career. But now with the pace of technological change, schools need to keep up with the rapidly evolving needs of business, and graduates need to recognize that they must keep their skills current or run the risk of irrelevance.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Ohio Capital Journal maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor David Dewitt for questions: [email protected].

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