4 ways Butler County workers can close the ‘skills gap’

Vanessa Brown, of Fairfield, searches for open local jobs at the OhioMeansJobs-Butler County office in Fairfield. GREG LYNCH / STAFF

Vanessa Brown, of Fairfield, searches for open local jobs at the OhioMeansJobs-Butler County office in Fairfield. GREG LYNCH / STAFF
Business
By Wayne Baker
Updated May 9, 2017
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The job market is filled with employers who can’t find qualified workers, according to local experts in the business of helping people find work.

“There’s a skills mismatch that is keeping people who want to work from landing a job,” said Joel Fink, who is the director of Skills Central, which provides Hamilton-area adults one-on-one counseling and referral services to help them get the qualifications they need for in-demand jobs.

Jeffrey Diver, executive director of Supports to Encourage Low Income Families (SELF), said the agency has employment programs that help remove barriers to finding employment.

“We are about life-long learning here at SELF, because job training now is an ongoing process because things are changing rapidly,” Diver said. “We are helping clients understand what it takes to get a job and keep it.”

Here are four local resources that offer services for those falling into the skills gap:

SKILLS CENTRAL

  • One-on-one counseling and referral services for Hamilton-area adults to help them get qualifications they need for in-demand jobs
  • Provides services to unemployed and underemployed people
  • More info at 513-863-0800, ext. 33 or skillscentral@fuse.net

JOBS NOW!

  • Includes a six-week boot camp teaching people how to write a resume and gather sources they need for filling out applications online.
  • Instructors conduct mock interviews for practice. There is also a job fair.
  • Helps participants in overcoming employment barriers such as lack of transportation.
  • More info at 513-868-9300 or www.selfhelps.org

THE BUILD-UP ACADEMY

  • Offers free job and construction skills training to low-income young adults (ages 18-40) in Butler County and includes a nationally recognized construction accreditation certificate as well as opportunities to network with local employers or apply for apprenticeships in the construction field upon graduation.
  • Includes incentives, employment and life skills training, emergency supports and even steel-toed boots and a starter tool set upon graduation from the program.
  • Includes over 100 hours of classroom training and 40 hours of hands-on experience.
  • More info at 513-868-9300 or www.selfhelps.org

GETTING AHEAD

  • "Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin' by World" is a curriculum that assists individuals living in poverty to evaluate their lives, so they can develop the skills necessary to survive and flourish. Participants will examine their own pasts and create new futures, including developing a written plan for prosperity that is broken down into manageable and achievable steps.
  • Getting Ahead sessions meet once a week for 18 weeks. Meals, childcare and gift cards incentives available.
  • More info at 513-820-5021 or sdarden@selfhelps.org
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About the Author

Wayne Baker