Columbus, OH – On Friday, The Buckeye Institute submitted a public comment to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services offering its recommendations on how the state can better align its workforce, education, and employment programs.

In its comment, The Buckeye Institute applauded the DeWine administration for its proposed updates to Ohio’s Combined State Plan and noted that “true success will be judged by real upward mobility, not how many programs the government funds.” The Buckeye Institute urged policymakers to  “enhance financial stability and economic mobility for Ohio families, offering clear paths to high-demand careers,” ensuring that there is a “reliable road to self-sufficiency, with every promotion signifying real financial progress.”

The Buckeye Institute recommended three policy reforms for the administration and the Ohio General Assembly to consider that will build a “more person-centered talent ecosystem, allowing every Ohioan to live up to their full potential.”

1) Modernize Financial Aid for All Types of Workers

• Reform the Ohio College Opportunity Grant (OCOG) to allow non-traditional students to use the grant to cover costs for non-tuition essentials and professional licensing exams.
• Allow students to apply OCOG to tuition and fees for all programs on the governor’s critical jobs list.
• Position TechCred as an augmentation of the Workforce Pell Grant program and OCOG to better align employer-driven upskilling with individual financial aid.

2) Eliminate the Benefit Cliff to Unlock Economic Opportunity

• Prepare to utilize the freedom-for-states provision in Senator Jon Husted’s proposed Upward Mobility Act, so that if it is signed into law, the state loses no time in eliminating the “success tax” that penalizes career advancement.

3) Measure Education and Workforce ROI Outcomes

• Transform the Ohio Longitudinal Data Archive into a public workforce return-on-investment dashboard so students can see how much money they will need to invest in their education and how much they can expect to earn once they have earned their degree.

Greg R. Lawson, a senior research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, and Sai C. Martha and Aswin Prabhakar, economic research analysts at The Buckeye Institute, co-authored the public comment.

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