'We can't afford to fail': Husted says career tech is good for students and businesses

Ohio is not immune to the workforce shortage facing businesses nationwide.

Finding new employees could get even harder if the next generation of workers are not developed now, Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted told a group of Mansfield manufacturers last week.

"We can't afford to fail at this," Husted said. "The only way we can grow the economy is if we have a workforce."

Helping fellow Buckeyes find jobs has been a focus of Husted's in the six years since he campaigned to be Ohio's second in command, and there's a chance he will continue those efforts after Gov. Mike DeWine reaches the end of his term limit.

"When the 2026 cycle comes around, I'll talk about my future plans," Husted told the News Journal. "But I don't think it will surprise anybody if I choose to run for governor."

Manufacturing businesses are crucial to Ohio's economy

The 56-year-old Republican stopped in North Central Ohio during his statewide In-Demand Jobs Week tour, which included visits of the Tri-Rivers Career Center in Marion and the Vanguard Sentinel Career and Technology Center in Fremont.

Husted ended his week Friday afternoon in Mansfield at Goyal Industries, a manufacturing facility with 30 employees.

Jay Goyal, the company's CEO, told Husted they make patented electrical components used nationwide for applications from utility transmission lines to passenger railroad systems.

The family business opened in 1988, and Goyal has made the industry his life's work.

"I grew up around it," Goyal said. "I was eight years old when my dad started the company."

Businesses like those founded and operated by the Goyal family, Husted said, are crucial to the state's economy.

Career tech includes 'any occupation that you can think of'

The DeWine-Husted administration has, in the past year, directed more than $300 million toward career technical education initiatives they believe help both the state's young people and its businesses.

Career tech training is free for high school students, Husted explained, and allows them to learn a marketable skill while also obtaining college credits.

"It’s any occupation that you can think of," Husted said. "That might be the building trades, it might be manufacturing, it might be robotics — or it could be healthcare, it could be graphic design, it could culinary."

Students then have the choice to either get a job in their chosen industry right out of high school, or build upon their education at a college or university.

Many families, Husted said, are learning that career technical opportunities benefit students no matter what life path they chose.

"It isn't career tech or college, it's both," Husted said. "We have to find a path for all of the students that maximizes their potential."

'Employers hire skills, they don't hire degrees'

Not only is the training free for high school students, but Husted said the credentials also generally allow them to land high-paying jobs shortly after graduation.

One person the Lt. Gov. spoke to last week told him they began their career earning more than their parents. That foundation could prove to change lives.

"Next thing you know, they're buying a car and putting a down payment on a house," Husted said.

Focusing on career tech training is an educational model that Husted thinks Ohio is leading the nation in developing.

"It's going to continue, no doubt," Husted said. "Employers hire skills, they don't hire degrees. Even if you do have a degree, they're going to want you to have a skill."

He added that businesses in places like Mansfield will benefit from having well-trained newcomers to the workforce now more than ever.

"This helps communities keep more of their young people, particularly at a time when the size of the working population is shrinking because of demographics," Husted said. "We don't have as many kids going to school as we did a couple generations ago, so we've got to be great at preparing them for work."

ztuggle@gannett.com

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