Profile: Emily Fabiano
In this "Get to Know You" Series, we're talking with the people who make OhioX's work happen. From staff to volunteers it's a true team effort!
Emily chairs OhioX’s education and workforce efforts and her insight and experience are invaluable to our organization. A strong tech workforce is vital to the growth and success of Ohio’s tech sector.
Name: Emily Fabiano
Title and Company: Founder, Workmorphis
City: Cincinnati
Q: In three sentences or less, describe what your company does and your role.
Shifts in the economy are significantly changing the way we hire, work, and live. Workmorphis is the first cross-sector workforce consultancy to unite business, education, and government to solve workforce and policy problems at scale. As founder and principal consultant, I lead a team of consultants and design strategies that empower employers, job seekers, and communities to achieve economic mobility.
Q: What are smart companies doing to ensure they have a strong tech workforce for the future?
Smart companies are focused on skills, and they are playing offense. Today, organizations across all sectors need workers with technology skills, making it even more difficult to attract and retain tech talent. By focusing on skills that are required for success at the company (versus degrees or direct experience), employers can open opportunities to a larger group of potential talent. For more information about engaging overlooked talent, check out our recent post about how companies can engage STARs: people who are skilled through alternative routes.
Q: What’s a (non Ohio) tech trend that more people should be following?
I believe that more people should be following large language models, which are computer programs that are trained to understand and generate human language (e.g., GPT-4). These programs are capable of augmenting or replacing the need for humans to do certain cognitive work, such as language translation, content creation, customer service, data analysis, and productivity tasks.
Companies, learners, and educators would be wise to proactively learn about and monitor trends, so that they can responsibly maximize benefits while minimizing risks.
Q: What’s your favorite Ohio tech story from the last year and why?
There are so many great Ohio tech stories from the past year! I am particularly excited about the joint investment by Honda and LG Energy Solutions to build an EV battery plant in Jeffersonville, which is halfway between Cincinnati and Columbus. Above and beyond the $4.4 million investment and 2,200 jobs this will bring to the community, it is an important indication that the future of automotive tech is happening here in Ohio.
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Learn more about Emily’s work at Workmorphis by connecting with her on LinkedIn.