The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio Senate Education Committee on March 10 regarding Ohio Senate Bill 328, which aims to help students build pathways to successful careers. Greg R. Lawson, a senior research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, said that while Ohio is playing a significant role in technological transformation, prosperity depends on providing workers with clear paths to jobs in high-tech manufacturing.
Senate Bill 328 is considered important because it seeks to align education and workforce systems with employer needs, addressing gaps between what students learn and the skills required by industry. Lawson said the bill “helps create those paths” by providing career guidance for every student, establishing a framework for work-based learning, and ensuring usable data for workforce development.
Lawson outlined three main policies in the bill: requiring the Department of Education and Workforce to create professional skills standards aligned with workplace needs; mandating that every student complete an academic and career plan involving parents or guardians; and establishing an initiative to make education and workforce data more valuable so families can see which credentials lead to high-wage employment. He said these changes are necessary because “the emerging changes and technologies are structural, not incremental,” emphasizing the need for “durable alignment” between education systems and employers’ needs.
He also addressed concerns about potential costs from new mandates, noting that existing funding sources could minimize increases for school districts. Lawson concluded his testimony by saying, “To sustain its momentum in 21st-century technologies, Ohio cannot rely on ad hoc coordination. It needs durable alignment. And Senate Bill 328 helps meet that need.”
According to the official website, The Buckeye Institute is a nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code that works to promote free-market public policy through research, data analysis, and policy development. The organization focuses primarily on Ohio but also promotes free-market ideas nationally. It supports policymakers with research and data to advance free-market principles and relies on private funding from individuals, corporations, and foundations. The Buckeye Institute has offices on Capitol Square in Columbus, Ohio.
Observers say that if implemented as described by Lawson, Senate Bill 328 could help better connect students’ educational experiences with real-world job opportunities as Ohio’s economy continues its shift toward advanced technology sectors.
