A total of 10,436 bargaining-unit
employees, which is about 25 percent of the total eligible participants, took
advantage of Workforce
Development programs during the biennium.
Workforce Development is a joint education
and training initiative between the State
of Ohio and Ohio Civil Service Employees
Association (OCSEA)/AFSCME Local 11.
This education and training program offers many
options for eligible bargaining unit employees, including
the Tuition Assistance Plan and Computer Purchase Plan.
The Tuition Assistance Plan consists of several components that provide financial
assistance to students attending participating colleges, universities, career
colleges and other institutions.
The components of the Tuition Assistance Plan are
Computer Enrichment Training, Career College Voucher,
University Reimbursement, University Voucher,
Professional Development and Vocational Training.
The combined expenditures for employee
participation during fiscal year 2002 were
$7,058,424. That figure increased to $9,472,923
for fiscal year 2003.
Loans made through the Computer Purchase Plan,
which allows eligible employees to borrow up to
$2,500 interest free to purchase new computer
equipment and educational or business software,
totaled $4,724,775 for fiscal year 2002. That figure
jumped to $6,471,866 for fiscal year 2003.
To better serve customers,
Workforce Development also developed a database
of user accounts and linked it to its enhanced Web
site and phone system.
This portion of the DAS eNewsCenter is for Human Resources Division customers.
| This article was reprinted from the 2002-2003 DAS Biennial Report. |