The document discusses aggressive strategies for confronting poverty and unemployment in Greater Cleveland. It outlines plans to 1) train and prepare workers for existing jobs, 2) increase educational attainment, and 3) attract new high-wage jobs in growing industries like healthcare, IT, advanced manufacturing, and alternative energy. Specific "fast-track" training programs are highlighted that combine technical and soft skills instruction to qualify workers for in-demand fields within a few months. The presentation also notes high poverty and low educational attainment rates in Cleveland compared to other major cities and the need to develop career pathways and address barriers to employment.

1. Aggressive Strategies for Confronting Poverty
and Unemployment/Underemployment
FBS Presentation
November 30, 2007
Craig Follins, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President - Workforce and Economic Development Division

11. LBJ said
…………………….
 “ Ability is stretched or stunted by
the family you live with and the
neighborhood you live in-by the
school you go to and the poverty or
richness of your surroundings. It is
the product of a hundred unseen
forces playing upon the little infant,
the child and, finally, the man.”

12. Aggressive Strategies for Confronting Poverty and
Unemployment/Underemployment
Overview: Confronting Poverty
 Train and Prepare for Existing Jobs
 Increase Educational
Attainment/Certification
 Attract New, High Wage/High Skill Jobs with
Growth Potential

13. Greater Cleveland: Poverty
Status
In August 2007, Cleveland was ranked by the Census
Bureau as the nation's fourth poorest big city, behind
Detroit, Buffalo and Cincinnati. Cleveland was ranked
first in poverty in two of the last three previous years

14. Greater Cleveland: Poverty
Status
Cleveland Population: 444,000
 Census Bureau Poverty Status Determined
for 400,000 residents
 Of these, 107,000 – 27% - Were Below the
Poverty Level
Persons
in Family or Household
48 Contiguous
States and D.C. Alaska Hawaii
1 $10,210 $12,770 $11,750
2 13,690 17,120 15,750
3 17,170 21,470 19,750
4 20,650 25,820 23,750
5 24,130 30,170 27,750
6 27,610 34,520 31,750
7 31,090 38,870 35,750
8 34,570 43,220 39,750
For each additional
person, add
3,480 4,350 4,000SOURCE: Federal Register, Vol. 72, No. 15, January 24, 2007, pp. 3147–3148

15. Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics as published in Economic Trends: Kyle Fee and Bob Sadowski, Research
Department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
(Cleveland-Lorain-Elyria)

16. Greater Cleveland: Poverty
Status
Poverty Status by Educational Attainment
for Population 25 Years Old and Over -
Cleveland
Percent Below Poverty Level
Less than High School Graduate 31.2%
High School Graduate* 19.6%
Some College or Associate’s Degree 17.6%
Bachelor’s Degree or Higher 7.8%
*Includes equivalency

17. Reducing Poverty
1) Training and Preparation for Existing Jobs
2) Increasing Educational Attainment
3) Increasing Skill Certification & Post-
Secondary Credentials
4) Economic Development – Attracting High-
Wage/High-Skill Jobs
5) Developing Career Ladders and Skill
Portability

19. Greater Cleveland: Existing Jobs
 Prepare Workers for Entry-Level Jobs With
Career Ladders/Lattices
 Connections with employers (One-Stop
System; Community College; Training
Providers) – Training Must Meet Employer
Needs
 Remove Barriers to Job Entry
- Multiple Factors
- Technical Training

20. Greater Cleveland: Existing Jobs
Remove Barriers to Job Entry
Multiple Factors
 Low basic skills – math, reading, IT
 Other factors – Social skills, “soft skills,”
wellness, transportation, etc.

21. Greater Cleveland: Existing Jobs
Remove Barriers to Job Entry
Technical Training
“Fast-Track” Programs (WEDD niche market)
 Combine Technical Instruction With
Workforce Preparation (soft skills)
 Training Completion within a Few Months
 Increased Support Services
 Connect early with academic/educational
pathway

25. What is WEDD? Who is the
WEDD Student?
 Last stop for many potential students
 Largely economically disadvantaged(3rd
party
funded)
 Desire “fast track training” in a variety of areas
including retail, health care, finance, GED, Adult
Education, etc.
 Interested in manufacturing careers
 Interested in building trades/apprenticeship
(blue collar careers-”working with their hands”)
 Interested in public safety careers
 Unemployed, underemployed, entry level jobs..
 Left out, locked out, weeded out of other
educational opportunities

26. Greater Cleveland: Existing Jobs
“Fast-Track” Programs
 Basic Manufacturing 150 Hours
 Precision Machining 280 Hours
 Nurse Assistant 180/190 Hours
 Patient Access Specialist 77.5 Hours
 Private Security 186 Hours
 Customer Service 120 Hours
 New Programs to be Developed

27. Consider “Green Collar Jobs”
 Energy retrofits in increase
efficiency
 Hazardous materials cleanup
 Landscaping
 Manufacturing jobs: solar panels,
green waste bins, bike cargo
systems
 Car mechanic jobs related to
biodiesel

28. Greater Cleveland: Education
Associate Degree or Higher by County
Cuyahoga (Includes Cleveland) 30.5%
Summit (Includes Akron) 30.4%
Hamilton (Includes Cincinnati) 35.4%
Lucas (Includes Toledo) 28.5%
Franklin (Includes Columbus) 37.4%
Source: Ohio County Profiles: Ohio Department of Development; Office of Strategic
Research

29. Greater Cleveland: Education
The percentage of Cleveland adults
holding a bachelor’s degree is the fifth
lowest among the nation’s 100 largest
cities

30. Greater Cleveland: Better Jobs
High-Wage/High Skill Industries
 Financial Services
 Health Care
 Information Technology
 Advanced Manufacturing
 Aerospace
 Automotive Production and Technician

31. Greater Cleveland: Better Jobs
High-Wage/High Skill Industries (continued)
 Nanotechnology/Biomedical
 Biotechnology
 Construction
 Energy – Nuclear, Solar,
(Alternative Energy)
 Transportation – Truck Driving

32. New programs planned

33. Alternative Energy
(Wind energy)

34. technology:
Laser Computer Numeric
Control Machining

35. WEDD is moving forward
 Questions, comments, etc.
 THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US
TO SHARE OUR VISION