A workforce platform designed to help Ohioans achieve their goals - Op-Ed

Lori Fry is Cyber Risk Advisory Senior Manager at Deloitte

By Lori Fry, Cyber Risk Advisory Senior Manager at Deloitte

Sometimes it takes a few job and work changes or challenges –– and maybe a couple of decades –– for a vision to come full circle. I started working on a project last year that in many ways brought me back to my academic roots in workforce development and education. Throughout my career, I’ve tried to find ways to help people advance academically and in their careers. With the passage of time, new experiences, technology advancements and bringing together people with a common vision, the stars have aligned and enabled me to do that on a wider scale. 

I had the privilege of working with the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, among other key collaborators, to help them develop a single website that consolidates and personalizes information from several state websites. Launched in March, Ohio Career Navigator enables residents to find tools and resources to further their education, enhance their skills, look for a new job, identify funding opportunities, and learn about services that are available to support their academic and career journey.   

What means so much to my colleagues and me is the impact something like this can have on so many people. A fundamental part of our work on the Ohio Career Navigator was finding out from Ohio residents what they really need. We spent weeks conducting focus groups so we could learn firsthand the various challenges people encounter on their career or education journeys. This is also where it got real for us. 

We heard emotional stories of struggle and triumph – and commitment – from a young mother in southeastern Ohio striving to be the first college graduate in her family, someone seeking educational and work opportunities after being involved with the justice system, and adults without GEDs searching for a path to advance their education. In many cases, people needed just one thing to go their way for them to have a real chance to improve their lives and the economic prosperity of their families. 

The focus groups gave us key insights into what so many nontraditional students need to take the next step to a brighter future. We used this information to design the technology behind the Navigator so there was a straight line from their stories to our developers’ work to the state providing a tool to positively impact their lives.

Ultimately, the interactive tool on OhioMeansJobs.com enables residents to find what they need on one site, answering the questions “What is available? What do you qualify for? How can Ohio help you reach your career goals?”  

In addition to connecting Ohioans with the resources they need to fulfill their work or academic goals, the Navigator links to the growth of Ohio’s talent pipeline, preparing our workforce for the future, and promoting economic prosperity for Ohio residents and their families.

I encourage you to visit the Ohio Career Navigator to see for yourself all the great resources that are now available.