The Skill Set

March 2026

Dispatch from the CEO

Leveraging AI to Prepare for AI

This month, I had the pleasure of speaking at SXSW EDU in Austin, TX with our partner in building Arena for Greater Cleveland Works, Michael Rosenbaum. We had a full house of people attend our session to learn about how we’re leveraging predictive analytics to guide people into employment where they’re more likely to stay and advance. While we were there, we also had the opportunity to connect with other education and workforce development leaders who are exploring AI as a tool to support career navigation, where we shared and learned about the ethical design of such tools that does not reinforce existing barriers.

We are excited to launch the pilot of this tool in the coming weeks to better serve job seekers and employers!

Michelle Rose

Chief Executive Officer

Greater Cleveland Works

Are you recruiting for a high volume of roles with an eye for retention? Greater Cleveland Works is inviting Cuyahoga County employers to participate in a pilot we’re launching to test a custom-build of the Arena.io platform. This technology leverages bias-resistant predictive analytics to assess how likely a job seeker is to stay and succeed in certain open jobs and presents a list of sorted matches. Coupled with guidance from our OhioMeansJobs career coaches, the custom-build and implementation of the platform will support job seekers in pursuing high-likelihood jobs they may not have otherwise considered.

Pilot employers will gain exclusive, no-cost access to this innovative matching technology, receive dedicated support from Greater Cleveland Works, and contribute to shaping a tool designed to improve retention and reduce time-to-fill. Space is limited to ensure a high-touch pilot experience. For more information, please contact Business Solutions Manager, Ian Marks (ian.marks@jfs.ohio.gov or 216-965-2870).

News You Can Use

New Financial Empowerment Center

Last week, we joined in celebrating the grand opening of the new Cuyahoga County Financial Empowerment Center. Made possible through partnership with the national Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund, the center will offer professional, one-on-one financial counseling and coaching as a free public service to County residents.

Working With ...

Michael Rosenbaum, Arena

In this month's Working With video, we sit down with Michael Rosenbaum, Founder and CEO of Arena, to talk about the predictive analytics talent-matching platform we're building for Cuyahoga County.

Around Town

Teaching Cleveland

Michelle Rose was the keynote speaker at a recent Teaching Cleveland event celebrating the conclusion of this year's Student Challenge. The program enables high school students to explore challenges impacting our community, including workforce. Students gave final presentations on topics like AI education and the Lake Erie workforce.