Stark Tuscarawas Workforce Development Board (STWDB)isfocused on strengthening how the workforce system responds to real-timeeconomic need across northeast Ohio. Serving Stark and Tuscarawas Counties, theorganization works across employers, education providers, and communitypartners, to ensure job seekers are connected to meaningful career pathwayswhile businesses have access to the talent required to grow.
STWDB provides oversight of the OhioMeansJobs centers inboth counties, where workforce strategy meets day-to-day service delivery.These centers provide job seekers with practical support such as resumedevelopment, job search guidance, interview preparation, and access to trainingaligned with in-demand careers. At the same time, employers are supportedthrough talent connection services and opportunities to upskill their existingworkforce through incumbent worker training. This dual focus reflects the roleWorkforce Development Boards (WDBs) play in serving both sides of the labormarket, ensuring alignment between workforce supply and industry demand.
What sets STDWB apart is how they are strengthening thesystem around that service delivery. Their work extends beyond programs intobuilding infrastructure that improves how workforce decisions are made. Throughinitiatives like the Business Resource Network, they are creating more directlines of communication between employers and workforce partners, supported byreal-time, localized insights on hiring needs and workforce trends. TheirWorkforce Trends Dashboard, powered through partnerships with Lightcast,provides accessible data on regional talent, job demand, and skill gaps,helping partners make more informed, coordinated decisions.
This focus on data and coordination reflects a broader shifthappening across the workforce system. Innovation is not about creatingsomething entirely new. It is about improving how systems connect, howinformation is used, and how quickly communities can respond to change. Bybringing partners together to review data, identify gaps, and align strategies,Stark Tuscarawas is helping to create a more responsive and integratedworkforce ecosystem.
That impact is reflected in the individuals and businessesthey serve. Through OhioMeansJobs Stark County, job seeker, Saizya, was able topursue her long-standing goal of becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse. Withsupport from WIOA-funded training, she completed her program with a 90 percentGPA, passed her licensing exam, and secured employment earning $30 per hour.Her success reflects how access to training, combined with the right supports,can change the trajectory of a career.
Employers are seeing similar results. Dover Chemical Companyutilized the Incumbent Worker Training Program to strengthen its workforce byinvesting in leadership and workplace skills for 15 employees. The result wasnot only stronger internal capacity, but nearly $96,000 in combined wageincreases and expanded advancement opportunities for staff. This kind ofinvestment demonstrates how upskilling current workers plays a critical role inmaintaining a competitive and sustainable workforce.
Stark Tuscarawas Workforce Development Board has been partof Midwest Urban Strategies since its early formation, engaging as a foundingmember to learn from peers, share best practices, and participate incollaborative initiatives. That connection continues to support their worktoday, from participation in national grant efforts, to access to tools andpartnerships that enhance their ability to serve their region.
Their growth as an organization reflects that same forwardmovement. In just over a year, their team has expanded from three staff membersto six, with additional growth on the horizon. That expansion signals bothincreased capacity and a continued commitment to meeting the evolving needs ofthe communities they serve.
As workforce systems across the country navigate changingeconomic conditions, Stark Tuscarawas Workforce Development Board demonstrateswhat it looks like to stay grounded in service while building toward thefuture. By aligning data, partnerships, and strategy, they are helping to shapea workforce system that is more connected, more responsive, and better equippedto support both job seekers and employers in a changing economy.
