1. For Workforce Development
One Direction
For Workforce Development

2. TalentNEO: Introduce TalentNEO Goals TalentNEO’s Workforce Efforts
Employers: Supports employers’ use of skills scores as a part of their hiring process to uncover hidden talent and expand the talent pool.
Jobseekers: Increase employment opportunities for jobseekers who have the required skills, but lack the educational credentials or experience traditionally used to screen applicants.
System: Strengthen the workforce system by creating a common language to match job seekers and employers – skills.
TalentNEO’s Workforce Efforts
TalentNEO is a demonstration project exploring whether skills scores can more efficiently help individuals find jobs and companies find talent
Original Prompts
What are your primary initiative or organizational goals?
Describe Your Organization’s Workforce Efforts:
Leadership?
Services ?
Alignment / System Building?

3. TalentNEO: Connect to vision
Local WIOA Plan/County Workforce Transformation Plan
Goal 1: More individuals are employed in jobs with middle and high- skill career and wage pathways
Use of skillscores to determine fit with technical training –as an entry requirement or as a diagnostic so that job seekers can better focus on areas of improvement through contextualized literacy and targeted upskilling tools;
Goal 2: Low- skilled workers improve their skills to meet demand for talent and earn better jobs and wages
Skills cores take the place of educational or years of experience criteria, opening up access to jobs for those who have the skills but may lack the credentials
Goal 3: Businesses have a steady supply of skilled talent for in-demand jobs
Help assess business’ entry to middle skill talent needs and design process to implement skills-based hiring approach
Current Engagement with WDB or County Plan
Members of TalentNEO Coordinating committee participate in the WDB, and its Strategic Functions Subcommittee, as well as the County-Philanthropy Sector Partnership taskforce
Original Prompts
How is your initiative connected to the Local WIOA Plan / County Workforce Transformation Plan?
Which goals and strategies does your work directly contribute to or impact?
How are you currently engaged with the Workforce Development Board or County Workforce Transformation Plan?
Local WIOA Plan
Goal 1: More individuals are employed in jobs with middle and high- skill career and wage pathways - TalentNEO is called out specifically in this goal of the local WIOA plan, “TalentNEO pilot project to increase the number of people employed through job matches based on WorkKeys competencies is completed and evaluated for next steps.”
-TalentNEO training provided to OMJ- CC and state staff.
Goal 2: Low- skilled workers improve their skills to meet demand for talent and earn better jobs and wages
-We offer various levels of upskilling to complement the WorkKeys skills assessment. We offer free access to the WorkKeys training software, WorkKeys Curriculum, and support instructor led upskilling in the classroom setting.
-To do well on WorkKeys, an individual needs to be at atleast a 6-8th grade reading level. For individuals not at this level, we have partnered with the Literacy Cooperative and regional ABE providers to developed and pilot contextualized curriculum in the healthcare and manufacturing sectors.
Goal 3: Businesses have a steady supply of skilled talent for in-demand jobs
Continued engagement with OMJ- CC on TalentNEO.
In August, OMJ sent 23 candidates for open positions with TalentNEO partner employers Nextant and Ferrous Metal Processing
OMJ has substituted WorkKeys for the TAB as assessment to access ITA dollars.
County Workforce Transformation Plan
Goal 1: Support business growth by delivering a sufficient and steady supply of qualified candidates at all skill levels
-WorkKeys being used as admission assessment into technical training
-Employers are waiving education and experience requirements for appropriate WorkKeys scores
Goal 2: Help residents with employment barriers become skilled workers
-We know WorkKeys is not a silver bullet. Often jobseekers need additional supports to be truly job ready. As a result, our assessment network is being refined to focus on organizations using skills scores as an integrated part of programing that includes career readiness, coaching, wrap around services, etc.
-TalentNEO training provided to CCMEP staff

4. TalentNEO: Celebrate Wins
Aligning the Workforce System
Built a network of community based testing and upskilling sites to increase access to preparation efforts, testing and better connection to the rest of the workforce system.
Monthly Learning Network provides a space for information sharing and idea exchange between partners and other interested parties
Helped to launch Ohio Means Skills, a statewide network of communities advancing local skills based hiring strategies to address the business community’s talent needs.
Success Stories
Businesses waiving HS Diploma
Ex LeSaint Logistics
Training organizations using WorkKeys assessment opened access to people who could not pass other assessments, who then performed as well or better as those who were accepted by the previous criteria
Skills scores added to job postings on OMJ
Contextualized literacy curriculum developed for 3 sectors – manufacturing, healthcare, and IT
Original Prompts
What are your top successes so far?
How have your efforts contributed to aligning the Workforce System?
Success Stories
Businesses waiving HS Diploma
-Multiple businesses have agreed to waive HS diploma and experience requirements for appropriate WorkKeys scores. Companies who have waived one or both include:
Nextant Aerospace – interviewed all TalentNEO candidates regardless of education credential – hired 1 and asked for an additional position to be scored and have candidates sourced
Ferrous Metal Processing – interviewed candidates regardless of education credential – hired 1
LeSaint – Waived education requirement, hired 5
Reserves Network – no candidates sent yet
Skills scores added to job postings on OMJ
-Updates a part of larger OhioMeansSkills state-wide initiative
LeSaint Logistics
-True success story.
-Employer did not have issue getting candidates for multiple open material handler positions. Rather got too many applicants and was dealing with high turn over and low retention. In order to fill positions, met with TalentNEO and did a project with TE. Candidates had two weeks of career readiness and received OSHA certification. LeSaint Logistics was willing to hiring anyone who completed the two week training and had the requisite skills scores, regardless of education credential. LeSaint has requested to do another project.
Aligning the Workforce System
Collaborative network of over 30 workforce, training, and adult basic education providers, CBOs, and public workforce system invest in skills
Monthly Learning Network provides a space for information sharing and idea exchange
TalentNEO network and skills leveraged for additional regional initiatives
-TechHire
-GenWork
-Sector Partnership

5. TalentNEO: Share Next Steps
TalentNEO Next Steps (near term)
Demonstration period wrapping up; planning for next steps underway
Continue to work with partners to build capacity to advise job seekers on the use of skills- scores in their job search or to access technical training.
Build capacity for increased engagement with the business community around skills and competency based hiring and training models.
Leverage national and state learnings to inform and strengthen initiative.
Continue to analyze and share data that disaggregates outcomes by race, educational achievement, household income, etc. to help target future efforts
Original Prompts
What actions are needed in the community to reach our Workforce Development Goals?
What are the next steps for your organization?
Nearly 90% of all participants with a HSD/GED scored at a level three or higher
Nearly 75% of participants with less than a HS diploma scored at a level three or higher
Scores of at least level three qualify an individual for over 650,000 jobs in Cleveland/ Akron area