The National Association of Workforce Boards has issued a call to action. Please take a moment to contact your members of Congress to let them know what the Workforce Council of Southwest Ohio is doing to support and expand apprenticeships in our region. Below is a message you can copy and paste into their web forms. 

I am writing to you to share how the Workforce Council of Southwest Ohio (WCSO), the local workforce development board for Hamilton County, is advancing high-quality, employer-driven apprenticeship opportunities in our region. 

Over the past year, WCSO has expanded apprenticeship efforts by partnering with employers and labor, connecting employers to ApprenticeOhio resources, and strengthening pre-apprenticeship pathways through our workforce and youth service providers. We co-hosted an Apprenticeships Policy Briefing that engaged local stakeholders and elected officials and directly informed the development of a regional apprenticeship position paper, which includes recommendations for scaling apprenticeships in our region and can be accessed at cincyworkforce.org/apprenticeships. 

One notable success is our ARPA-funded pre-apprenticeship partnership with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). In its first year, 40 high school students completed electrical construction training, earning credentials that qualify them for advanced placement in a registered apprenticeship. Twenty-three students entered the IBEW apprenticeship program, shortening their training time by one year. 

Despite this progress, challenges remain. Limited and inconsistent funding, employer capacity constraints, particularly for small- and mid-sized businesses, and participant barriers, such as transportation, hinder our ability to scale apprenticeships. Ohio’s new driver’s education requirement for youth ages 16–20 has created additional cost barriers for low-income families, limiting access to training and work opportunities. 

I appreciate your continued support for policies that reduce barriers and promote flexible, locally driven apprenticeship and workforce development strategies.  

Contact Information 

U.S. House of Representatives: 

Use this link to find your member of Congress by entering your zip code in the upper-right side of the page under “FIND YOUR REPRESENTATIVE” https://www.house.gov/representatives  

Ohio Senators in the U.S. Senate: 

• Senator Jon Husted: husted.senate.gov/contact-jon  

• Senator Bernie Moreno: moreno.senate.gov/share-your-opinion