Collaboration, not competition, is the goal of three Northeast Ohio cities each competing for the Talent Dividend Prize. Youngstown-Warren, Akron, and Cleveland are each competing separately for the prize, but thanks to previous successful collaborations and their common challenges, the three cities have agreed to form a consortium to work together and will share the prize if awarded.
"Often cities or communities isolate themselves and don't think about the residual effects," says Stephanie Shaw, executive director of
Eastern Ohio P-16, which is heading the Talent Dividend Prize effort for Youngstown. "If Cleveland gets it, for example, we will get some of the residual effects, but instead of getting the trickle-down we'll be at the core of what's going on when we launch our (prize-funded) campaign."
The three cities have worked together on other projects through the
Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education (NOCHE), including a project to help high school students and their parents through the process of applying for college financial aid. Because that foundation was already built, Shaw says, it made sense to capitalize on already existing relationships to pursue the Talent Dividend Prize.
The regions also face similar challenges. Each had a strong manufacturing base, and now face the task of creating an understanding among residents that some sort of post-secondary education is necessary to achieve a more secure lifestyle and career.
"We have more similarities than differences," Shaw says.
Currently, the consortium is planning their next steps in their pursuit of the Talent Dividend Prize. One of their first activities will be to plan a marketing campaign aimed at changing the mindset of Northeast Ohioans toward the need for higher education. They're also planning on working together to address "stop-outs"— students who had attended college and stopped because of life changes, but are nine credits or less short of an associate's degree (whether they attended a two-year college or a four-year), and awarding them their degree.
Writer: Amy Kuras
Source: Stephanie Shaw, executive director, Eastern Ohio P-16