Over the years, major companies ranging from AT&T to IBM have poured billions of dollars into training programs to encourage workers to level up their technology skills and fill a widening pool of unfilled tech jobs.
And in January, the state of Ohio joined the ranks of organizations working to solve for the talent shortage. Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill into law that commits $17.5 million a year to businesses who will pay for employees to upgrade their technology skills.
Part of this initiative is through the state’s TechCred program, which will reimburse up to $2,000 per employee, and up to $30,000 per employer, when a business pays for a current or prospective worker to earn an industry-recognized technology-focused credential, including those from Google Cloud, AWS, Oracle, Microsoft Azure and more.
“There are lots of job training programs for people who are unemployed,” Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted tells CNBC Make It, “but when you have sustained low unemployment like this in the country and Ohio, your future workforce is your present workforce — we need to find a way to upskill them.”