Many high-tech jobs go unfilled for lack of trained workers, the senator said.

According to Forbes Magazine, Ohio ranks 10th among states with the highest looming deficiency of skilled labor shortage in the country, Brown noted.

“If we’re going to attract new employers, we need to have a skilled workforce,” he said.

Despite the nation’s 7.6 percent unemployment rate, there still is demand in today’s labor market for skilled workers, Brown said.

According to a survey released late last year by the National Tooling and Machining Association and the Precision Metalforming Association, 91 percent of manufacturing businesses are experiencing challenges finding qualified employees.