Study: Ohio well-positioned to meet skilled trades demand

By Terri Dee

Every year until 2035, trade industry employers across the nation will have to fill around 1.7 million positions to meet demand, according to new research.

As current workers retire and new jobs are created, Ohio is tasked with filling vacancies in more than 120 vocations. Ohio currently has almost 800,000 people working in such roles, and with 25% aged 55 and older transitioning out of the workforce, fewer incoming workers are filling the gap, according to "The State of America's Skilled Trades: A National Report"

Maria Flynn, president and CEO of the nonprofit Jobs for the Future, said despite the troubling figures, the state is in a good place.

"Ohio has a very well-established apprenticeship system. They currently have about 30,000 registered apprentices statewide, so that's a good foundation to start from," Flynn explained.

Flynn sees high school guidance counselors playing a role in broadening the idea of what success looks like after graduation, beyond the traditional four-year degree path. The report showed one in four guidance counselors currently recommends apprenticeship as a stepping stone to certification in a trade as an attractive career option.

As Americans struggle with cost-of-living expenses, Flynn pointed to securing a vocational career as a way to obtain a quality job and earn noteworthy wages. The Association for Career and Technical Education reported the national unemployment rate in the skilled trades industries is near a 20-year low and workers earn, on average, 31% more per year compared to other non-college degree graduates.

Flynn stressed a healthy skilled trades sector is crucial to the overall economy.

"If we don't fix this problem as a nation, we really risk losing our economic competitiveness. These are the roles that literally build our houses and our bridges, that conduct our electrical grids, building the manufacturing of the future," Flynn pointed out.

Flynn is optimistic Ohio has all the necessary building blocks to fill job openings for skilled workers. In the meantime, she emphasized it is important to ensure training programs have the capacity to educate their students and place supportive resources within reach.