Ohio’s cities take up Ohio’s Complete to Compete challenge
August 26, 2019
Today, the Ohio Mayors Alliance awarded a total of more than $200,000 to seven cities that are stepping up to support Ohio’s Complete to Compete challenge, an effort that is designed to help meet the State’s goal that by 2025, 65 percent of working-age Ohioans will have a 2-year or 4-year college degree, or a high quality credential.
Ohio’s ability to attract and keep good jobs depends on having a highly qualified workforce. An estimated 2/3 of Ohio jobs in the near future will require education beyond high school. Ohio ranks 36th among the states for its citizens’ educational attainment, according to the Lumina Foundation’s A Stronger Nation.
The Ohio Mayors Alliance, in partnership with Learn to Earn Dayton, and with generous support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the AT&T Foundation, created the Mayors Education Advocacy Grant program to engage mayors and leverage their voice to help promote Ohio’s educational attainment goal.
The cities awarded grants include Akron, Columbus, Dayton, Lancaster, Lima, Toledo, and Youngstown. These funds will be used to execute programs designed by the city, some of the programs include support for FAFSA completion, linking employers with high school graduates, college debt forgiveness for “stopped-out” students, and programs to highlight high schoolers who are enrolled in college, the military, or are joining the workforce.
“Ohio’s cities are helping to drive the statewide economy, but more must be done to ensure that our workforce is ready for the next generation of jobs and opportunities,” said Keary McCarthy, Executive Director of the Ohio Mayors Alliance. “This first-of-its-kind grant program is just one example of how mayors are coming together with local education leaders to support Ohio’s educational attainment goal. We are immensely grateful to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the AT&T Foundation for their support in keeping Ohio strong.”
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For more information on our cities’ programs, please read our overview document.