Collaboration-Driven Talent Solutions
Partnerships drive Northeast Ohio’s unique talent solutions.
Discover Talent.
Explore Our Region
Joining forces for talent success.
We attract, retain, and grow talent. Together.
The Northeast Ohio Region uses the full power of its regional network to connect future talent to high-demand careers, retain our current talent, and attract new talent from outside the region. Working together, our businesses, higher education, and nonprofit partners co-create strategies to make Northeast Ohio more diverse, inclusive, and welcoming, ensuring the best environment for talent – especially early-career professionals.
ONE-THIRD OF HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES do not immediately pursue postsecondary education
ONE THIRD OF THOSE WHO GO TO COLLEGE will land a job in their chosen field of study.
To help narrow this gap, Team NEO, Northeast Ohio’s regional economic development organization, developed Connections to Careers, a unique training workshop for high school and college-level career advisors and educators
Higher Education Partners in the Northeast Ohio Region
Talent Attraction, Development & Retention Partnerships
Cleveland Talent Alliance
The Cleveland Talent Alliance endeavors to make Cleveland and the surrounding region one of the fastest growing and most diverse, inclusive, and welcoming metro areas in the Midwest by 2030. The consortium, made of public, private and nonprofit organizations led by Destination Cleveland, is working to help the region attract new talent and retain current residents in a distinct and coordinated way. It is developing a seamless and coordinated system that attracts, navigates, engages, welcomes, and retains the best talent in Cleveland, with an initial focus on the fast-growth sectors of IT/technology (including financial services), healthcare and smart manufacturing.
Team NEO Talent Development Council
The Team NEO Talent Development Council (TDC) brings together higher education institutions, companies and workforce organizations to develop holistic, regional talent development solutions.
TDC members evaluate the talent pipeline, policy initiatives, pilot programs, regional performance and participation.
Through its efforts, the TDC grows jobs, nurtures and develops talent across the region, and ensures access to opportunities is equitable.
Higher Education & Workforce Partnerships
Cuyahoga Community College Workforce, Community and Economic Development (WCED) Division Partnerships
The Workforce, Community and Economic Development (WCED) division of Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) partners with business and industry, government organizations, and the community to provide training and development to individuals and businesses throughout Northeast Ohio. WCED’s workforce preparedness solutions include leadership development, organizational development, corporate team building, quality, and business process management, health care industry solutions, information technology programs, manufacturing technical training, and skilled laborer training.
Cuyahoga Community College & Swagelok: Right Skills Now CNC Operations Program
The Right Skills Now CNC Operations program evolved from a collaboration between Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) and Swagelok to meet the demand for skilled CNC (computer numeric controlled equipment) operators. The program combines 180 hours of training with 320 hours of paid internship to prepare individuals for a career in the manufacturing industry. Eighty-five percent of those completing the program are employed at Swagelok.
LCCC & Fortress SRM: Cybersecurity Pilot Program
The cybersecurity pilot program led by Lorain County Community College (LCCC) and Fortress Security Risk Management (SRM), a Division of MCPc, is a strong partnership that leverages targeted insights. The program, formed in response to needs uncovered during a Team NEO Talent Development Council meeting, resulted in a solution whereby LCCC is creating cybersecurity internships. Currently, Fortress SRM has three LCCC students interning at their Security Operations Center.
Stark State College, University of Akron & FirstEnergy: On-Site Higher Education
FirstEnergy Corp. developed an educational program in conjunction with Stark State College and The University of Akron where instructors from both institutions teach on-site at company facilities in the Akron area. Known as “Educate to Elevate,” the program is designed to assist FirstEnergy’s local customer service employees in pursuing associate and bachelor’s degrees and help develop a highly skilled, adaptable workforce.
LCCC: Industry-Tailored MEMS Degree
Lorain County Community College (LCCC) offers Ohio’s first bachelor of applied science in microelectronic manufacturing (MEMS). This new degree is an industry-tailored, hands-on program with core content in Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and microelectronic manufacturing, design, assembly, and prototyping. LCCC faculty worked closely with more than 30 Northeast Ohio microelectronics companies to develop the MEMS program to prepare students for paid internships and in-demand careers in the Northeast Ohio region. To-date, MEMS has a 100% job placement rate.
Connecting Talent to In-Demand Opportunities
Students: Connect your passions to career opportunities. Learn more about the top emerging careers in the Northeast Ohio Region, including salary information, top skills required, and videos of young professionals’ journeys to their career paths.
