Getting the buy-in from the schools is crucial to having a successful workforce development system. In 2013 school superintendents, principals, and guidance counselors were invited on a bus tour to area manufacturers to learn about available careers, sought skill sets, and earning potential. In 2019, the SCEDC brought back the bus tours for area superintendents, principals, guidance counselors and teachers/coaches of influence and included stops within the manufacturing, healthcare and agriculture industries. The SCEDC will continue to work with partners to offer bus tours when needed in future years.
WORKFORCE
THINK SANDUSKY COUNTY WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES
THINK SANDUSKY COUNTY BUS TOUR
THINK MANUFACTURING CAREER SHOWCASE
Since the first showcase in 2014, over 4,000 ninth-grade students participated in this hands-on event. Representatives from local businesses share with students how workplace skills will help them succeed in an innovative, yet highly technical industry, and reacquaint youth with the process of designing and building products, through hands-on activities. The event educates attendees about the varied career opportunities that are available to them in manufacturing and about the companies that call Sandusky County home.
THINK SANDUSKY COUNTY JUNIOR/SENIOR JOB FAIR
SCEDC and partners have held a job fair each spring since 2017 for graduating seniors and juniors. The goal of this initiative is to connect students with Sandusky County employers. It’s important for the students to attend the event, whether the students will be going directly into the workforce, simply looking for a summer job, job shadowing experience or internship or furthering their education.
SANDUSKY COUNTY
BUSINESS ADVISORY COUNCIL
The SCEDC’s Sandusky County Business Advisory Council is a committee that was formed in 2018 and meets quarterly in the months of February, May, August, and November. The BAC is a great forum to communicate the workforce development programs that we have in Sandusky County with superintendents and companies from our top industry sectors. The companies in the Council help guide the schools in what workforce ready curriculum should be taught to students. The schools, in turn, are able to communicate what they are faced with from the Ohio Board of Education and how that trickles down to the local level.
THINK SANDUSKY COUNTY TEACHER BOOTCAMP
SCEDC along with North Point Educational Service Center, held the first THINK Sandusky County Teacher Bootcamp in June of 2019 for 24 educators from the Sandusky County School Districts. These educators gained first-hand experience about rewarding careers available in Sandusky County by touring 6 facilities and creating a presentation on how the information they learned would then be implemented into their curriculums in the classroom. In return, the educators received 3 graduate credit hours from Ashland University. The goal of the bootcamp is for educators to learn about good-paying jobs/careers available in these industries and the skills students will need to be successful in securing and retaining these positions and return share that message with their students.
STUDENT CAREER CAMPS
The SCEDC introduced student bootcamps in 2023.Through the career aptitude assessment called YouScience, used by all Sandusky County Schools, students are able to see what industry sectors/careers best fit with their aptitude. Our organization has coordinated a job shadow like experience focused on 6 industries: Advanced Manufacturing, Agriculture, Construction, Finance, Healthcare, and Information Technology. By providing these students with access to an exclusive educational opportunity, we are supporting them to unlock their full potential and to pursue their passion with confidence.
YouScience
YouScience – Don’t Miss this Opportunity to Connect your Business to Students!
Through the work of the Sandusky County Business Advisory Council that is put on by the SCEDC and the North Point Educational Service Center, five of our Sandusky County School Districts are now subscribed to a new resource to help connect our labor pool to our local Sandusky County companies through the platform – YouScience. Now, for the first time, companies are being permitted to register on the YouScience system, making your company more visible to high school students! The Employer Connection Portal is a platform to assist Sandusky County students to become aware and better understand the businesses in our community.
What is YouScience and why does it matter to Sandusky County businesses?
YouScience is an aptitude-based career guidance tool being used by our Sandusky County School Districts to help students identify best-fit careers. So, this assessment is not just a career interest-based assessment like what has typically been used in the past. YouScience lets students know what they are naturally good at and what careers align with their aptitude!
Benefits to your organization will include:
• Influencing talent by promoting your career opportunities.
• Building a better prepared and more diverse talent pipeline.
• Identifying specific skills necessary for needed positions within your organization.
• Maybe the best part… It is FREE! As an early mover, there is no cost to get your brand in front of talent!
How does it work?
Sandusky County employers enter company information and indicate the skills desired from potential employees. Using a proprietary algorithm that matches each student’s talents and skills, YouScience identifies students that are well suited to an employer’s needs.
Are you ready to find your future workforce?
You can register for FREE here
