Companies Give Employees Skills To Advance

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Central Ohio companies continue to change to keep up with the changing economy and sometimes the skills needed to perform new tasks aren’t always had by workers.

Now, some Central Ohio companies are giving their employees the skills they need to advance.

From cold medicines and beer to hair gel and pharmaceuticals, ISP has a hand in products you use everyday.

The Columbus branch has been around since the late 1970’s, but finding the right kind of worker hasn’t always been easy.

“Many years ago when we were trying to locate people to come here when unemployment was low, we recognized it was difficult,“ said Duane Harris, production manager.

The operators at the plant had high school degrees, but needed more training to do their jobs.

The company partnered with a local college to create a training program online.

Jennifer Craig just completed the testing.

“Some of the chemistry is new to them, maybe they took a basic chemistry course in high school, but they haven’t dealt with it day-to-day since then, so they have questions about the chemistry,“ Craig said.

Experts at the small business development center at Columbus State Community College said that in this kind of economy, companies make a mistake: They cut costs by cutting training.

If companies would look to local schools, they could find training at reasonable costs, many times subsidized by tax dollars and grants.

The training could create a pipeline of potential employees to choose from, and displaced workers can take part in those programs through area training centers.

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