Our Work

Driving talent development, attraction, and retention in the Firelands region

Employer Services

We serve as an extension of your HR team, making direct and meaningful connections to grow your company through a stable, skilled, and supported workforce.

Frontline Worker Retention

We coordinate supportive programs such as childcare and transportation for working poor individuals, and improve employer utilizations rates of these services, with a goal to encourage job retention in entry-level jobs and advancement.

High School Career Connections

We support local school districts to familiarize, prepare, and connect students to local employment opportunities, especially students that are not college or military-bound, to jobs after graduation.

Special Projects & Resources

We work directly with workforce  partners, schools, and companies to  to understand ongoing opportunities and implement support strategies

 

Helping You Find the Employees you Need Now and in the Future

Employer Services

Firelands Forward serves all employers in Erie & Huron Counties – the Firelands region of North Central Ohio. Our connections span our labor shed, from Cleveland to Toledo, and the resources we can access go beyond that. Utilize our team as your company’s concierge for in-depth data services, recruiting, headhunting, workforce grants, training grants, and all the connections and resources you need.

Recruiting & Placement

We utilize our regional network and resources to head hunt for you. We help with marketing of  job descriptions, access to LinkedIn Recruiter, direct connection to graduating seniors (college & High School), and more. 

Data Services

Utilize Firelands Forward access to extensive labor market data to make informed decisions in your hiring process. We conduct wage analysis, job description comparables, and more in-depth, custom data services.

Resource Connection

In today’s workforce system there are an abundance of technical and financial resources available for your company. Firelands Forward can serve as your “concierge” in navigating and applying for all kinds of workforce and training grants. Also utilize our deep connections across trade groups and young professionals groups to see what further opportunities may be awaiting you.

Frontline Worker Retention

This collaborative work group aims to coordinate supportive programs such as childcare and transportation for working poor individuals, and improve employer utilizations rates of these services, with a goal to encourage job retention in entry-level jobs and advancement.

The problem we're solving.

Low wage frontline workers often face challenges securing supports such as childcare and transportation which enable them to be productive employees which can prevent them from advancing into higher paying roles with more stability. In 2019, there were 8,949 frontline workers in Erie and Huron counties who earned less than $25,000 annually. This Work Group will work to improve the connection to and use of supportive services by low frontline workers and development of intentional pathways to advancement for qualified frontline workers which lead to higher wages in targeted industries in the Firelands region. 

The projects we're working on.

Projects should serve frontline workers, with a focus on those earning wages $25,000 or less. Additionally, the Work Group should select a subset of industries to focus on which have advancement opportunities for frontline workers and/or pay a regionally defined living wage. All projects developed by the Working Group will focus on residents of and businesses who have locations within Erie and Huron counties. 

High School Career Connections

This collaborative work group aims to support local school districts to familiarize, prepare, and connect students, especially students that are not college or military-bound, to jobs after graduation.

The problem we're solving.

To ensure a successful transition into the local workforce, graduating high school seniors should have an understanding of the local labor market and a plan for entrance into a career field. In 2018, over half of high school graduates in the Firelands region did not go to college immediately, of these students almost a third do not have a career plan. This Work Group will work to improve the knowledge of the local labor market of all high school students in the region; will seek to increase the number of seniors who have a career plan upon graduation; and will build connections between high school seniors who are not college or military bound and local employers in targeted industries to facilitate a smooth transition into the workforce. 

The projects we're working on.

Projects should serve high school students, with a focus on Junior and Seniors. Additionally, the Work Group should select a subset of industries to focus on which have advancement opportunities for entry level workers and/or pay a regionally defined living wage. All projects developed by the Working Group will focus on the schools districts in the North Point and businesses who have locations within Erie and Huron counties. 

Resources

Firelands Forward Strategic Plan

Covering a three year time horizon, 2020-2023, and developed with vast community input, the Firelands Forward Workforce Development Plan is designed to improve job skills, fulfillment, and retention. The Plan frames and builds coordination and collaboration across education, job training, and other supportive services to drive economic growth. It includes accountable and measurable solutions for improving the workforce.

Working to Solve our Turnover Challenge

As a region – and a nation – we face the issue of high labor force turnover rates. Workers, especially those in lower-income professions, are leaving their jobs often, and this is causing instability for both employees and employers. What can we do about it?  Read our white paper on the causes and effects of turnover, and reach out to our team to discuss your insights and needs! 

The Social Safety Net 

We’ve all heard it – “the social safety net disincentivizes work” – especially in a policy environment that is placing more emphasis on providing public benefits to more people, in more situations. So does this narrative hold up to scrutiny? What are the reasons why, or why not? We’ll explore that and more in this white paper on the social safety net and the benefits cliff. 

Move Forward With Us.

247 Columbus Avenue, Sandusky, OH, United States, Ohio