News Releases
Treasurer Mandel Recognizes Dayton Worker with ‘Ohio Strong’ Award
Jeff Cartmell of CTC Plastics Honored as Part of Ohio Manufacturing Month
DAYTON – Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel’s office visited CTC Plastics in Dayton to present an ‘Ohio Strong’ Award. Ohio Strong is an effort started by Treasurer Mandel to help recognize local workers in manufacturing and the skilled trades, and raise public awareness to encourage more people to pursue careers in these fields.
As part of this initiative, a regional representative from the Ohio Treasurer’s office presented an Ohio Strong Award to Jeff Cartmell of CTC Plastics, after Cartmell was nominated as an example of an employee who deserved recognition for dedication to his trade.
“As the baby boomers are retiring, I frequently hear about the shortage of welders, pipe-fitters, electricians, carpenters, machinists and other skilled trades across Ohio. There are high paying jobs going unfilled because employers can’t find a modern workforce to hire with the skill sets they need,” said Treasurer Mandel. “I believe that there is a quiet crisis upon us, and in order to prosper as a country we need to encourage young Americans to pursue careers in the skilled trades. I launched the Ohio Strong initiative to help bring pride and profile to dedicated men and women across our state who work in these fields that are so vital to our economy.”
Bridging the Skills Gap
A recent Bureau of Labor Statistics study that showed 48 percent of college graduates are working in jobs that don't require a four-year degree. At the same time, according to a recent Skills Gap Survey by the Manufacturing Institute, approximately 600,000 manufacturing jobs are unfilled nationally because employers can't find qualified workers.
“There are too many young people throughout America today who have four-year liberal arts degrees, thousands of dollars in debt, and are serving coffee at Starbucks or working part-time at the mall,” said Treasurer Mandel. “Ohio can and must do a better job of helping to encourage students to pursue careers in modern manufacturing and the skilled trades.”
