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Ohio Offers Second Round of TechCred Applications to Help

Employees Earn Technology Skills

Lt. Governor Jon Husted has launched " TechCred", a program that connects businesses with the talent they need and gives employees the ability to earn industry-recognized, technology-focused credentials, better preparing them for a job in today’s advanced, technology-infused economy.

These are some key details that employers should know:

For questions regarding TechCred, use  this email  [email protected].

The AFL-CIO Labor Council held their Annual Holiday Party on the evening of December 4 ^th at the NALC Branch 43 Union Hall in Northside. An abbreviated delegate meeting was conducted before the celebrations, including Holiday Karaoke, with several talented voices sharing their vocal gifts for the full house attendance. A key topic in the delegate meeting was a review of policy considerations for Tax Increment Financing related to economic and neighborhood development and implications for public school funding and the need to balance these key community resources for mutual success.

Left to Right: Peter McLinden , Executive-Secretary of the Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council; Michelle Dillingham , Cincinnati Federation of Teachers; Sedrick Denson , State Representative of House District 33;  Judge Janaya Trotter ;  Sherry Kelley Marshall , SWORWIB President and Judge Alan Triggs.

Pictured on the left: Eddie L. Koen, President and Chief Executive of the Urban League next to Alicia Reese, f ormer state representative who has announced her run for the Hamilton County Commission. Pictured on the right: President/CEO Sherry Kelley Marshall with Ms. Reese, among a large crowd of locals welcoming Mr. and Mrs. Koen.

The December 16 ^th evening to formally introduce the new president and chief executive of the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio ’s was snowy wet and blistering cold yet warm, welcoming and bustling with expectation and excitement for the future. The Cincinnati-Dayton League conducted a national search and selected Mr. Koen who most recently served as the Chief Impact Officer for United Way of Denver. Introductions focused on Koen’s business acumen, passion for education, equity and criminal justice reform as well as top skills in conflict resolution, donor relations and understanding grassroots strategies that impact change and progress. His comments on aspiring to achieve more than managing poverty by focusing strongly on supporting individuals towards middle-class and beyond reverberated throughout the room.  Welcome, Eddie L. Koen.

The Annual Great Oaks Education Foundation Reception and Dinner was held Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at the Scarlet Oaks Career Campus. This event welcomes board members, Great Oaks associates, students, friends from our affiliated schools, our business partners and friends as well as former board members. The Culinary Arts and Hospitality students prepare the meal and manage the serving functions.  Scarlet Oaks Junior ROTC students, under the direction of Lieutenant Richard Kuehner and Petty Officer Connie Dengler, presented the colors and assisted with the pledge.

Our emcee was Malik Clark, a 2012 graduate from the Scarlet Oaks Law Enforcement program and Mt. Healthy High School.  Clark described the evening as a celebration Great Oaks Graduates to share their successes. Moreover the event recognized the Eric Scott Compassion Award. Eric Scott was a well-loved, long-time information technician at Great Oaks. His technology work was exemplary, but he was also known for his passion and desire to create an environment of respect, success and equity for students, staff and all who came in contact with Great Oaks. He was an original member of the District Equity Council and served for many years on its leadership team. He passed away in 2016. This award is intended to encourage the continuance of his work. This is an annual award to be given to the full-time or part-time Great Oaks associate who has best contributed to an organizational culture that embraces the diverse strengths and desires of students and associates. The award was created by Eric’s family, friends and colleagues and is administered by the Great Oaks Education Foundation.

Devona Scott, Eric’s wife, assisted Harry Snyder with the presentation of the award to

Colissa Brogden, an English teacher at Diamond Oaks. She uses literature, authentic experiences, and service learning to promote a culture of equity and respect among her students. She ensures that every student’s voice matters and that opinions are always respected, even if they aren’t the popular majority. She teaches students how to listen to beliefs and ideas that our different than their own and question rather than accuse. Colissa creates learning experiences that students will carry with them throughout their lives.

For instance, using the Crucible by Arthur Miller, Colissa’s students examined the justice system and their own biases, and had students fighting (peacefully) for an equitable justice system. In November she created an opportunity for students to “Be the Change.” In small groups, the students researched needs within their own communities. Students identified and investigated a need in their own community and proposed a solution. Students then planned and took an immediate action towards issues of homelessness, illiteracy, single parenting, support and comfort for the elderly as well as other issues. 

Please click at https://greatoakseducationfoundation.org/ for the shared updates from the featured Great Oaks graduates. You will be amazed by the talent, commitment and poise of these graduates and their pursuit of their interests and passion:

Four other students were featured in the video:

Congratulations to the graduates, their family and friends and the Great Oaks team for an inspiring, meaningful look at the impact Great Oaks delivers for students, employers and the community. 

In-School Youth

Jobs for Cincinnati Graduates (JCG)

JCG Students Busy at Taft High School

The JCG classroom is partnering with Allied Construction Industries, Turner Construction and Jostin Construction to connect the classroom to the construction of the FC Cincinnati Stadium behind the school; right outside the JCG window! Throughout the school year, ACI, Turner and Jostin will develop learning opportunities for JCG students at different stages of the project.

Lydia Burns, Allied Construction Industries, was the first to present to the JCG class. She started with asking the students to name all of the careers in construction they could think and then listed all the additional careers that were involved in the stadium project. Lydia also facilitated a measuring activity as an introduction to the trades and careers in construction and skills required, not only for construction, but for life.

As the project progresses, David Bareswilt, FC Stadium Project Manager; Kristen Smitherman-Voltaire, Community & Citizenship Manager; Turner Construction and Erin Wisecup and Vice President, Jostin Construction will continue to collaborative with JCG students through classroom presentations and using technology construction camera and photo footage to expose the students to the project process, careers and opportunities within construction. In the spring they will host a Construction Specific Career Day and offer tours of the FC Cincinnati stadium. This is a great example of connecting the classroom to careers!

A Walk in Our Neighbor's Shoes

Tamara Thrasher, Program Manager, at the Ozanam Center at St. Vincent DePaul and Taft Alum brought the Poverty Simulation to Taft High School. This simulation challenges participants to walk in the shoes of their neighbors in need for an hour—to explore poverty experientially. The objective is to help people in our community better understand the realities of living in poverty, to grow in solidarity and to take action on behalf of our neighbors in need. Participants take on an identity—a unique persona—developed by the Ozanam Center for Service Learning, based on the experiences of neighbors who have entrusted St. Vincent de Paul staff and volunteers with their stories.

 

Over the course of 60 minutes, JCG students and other Seniors at Taft took on the identity of a neighbor struggling to fulfill a month’s worth of basic needs like food, shelter, utilities, medication, employment, education and childcare —making use of resources available to people living in the City of Cincinnati. St. Vincent de Paul volunteers and staff members of representing organizations provided vital resources to participants during the simulation. The challenge: to meet basic needs by the end of the month, while balancing the demands of family life, relationships, transportation and many of the situations that effect people in our community on a daily basis.

 

During and after the simulation students expressed stress and frustration in trying to successfully maneuver through the month to meet their needs, make it to all appointments and connect with community resources while dealing with transportation and child care issues and found how difficult it is. JCG would like to give a special “Thank You” to Tamara for this great opportunity for our students!

Goal4 It!

JCG students at Taft are participating in a Goal4 It! pilot program through Mathematica and the SWORWIB. Students were given an introduction to the process and set their personal goals, developed a plan to achieve and then review and revise their goals every couple of weeks. At the second session, the students began to identify their challenges or potholes and develop a solution or detour to success.

Each session students shared their success and progress towards reaching their goals and discussed how this process can help them in the next phase, Life After High School .

Some of the feedback was, “It opened my eyes to what I want to do in the future”, “I like that it gets my mind set and ready to focus on the things I want to do” and “I can actually see it, it’s a daily reminder to keep me on track (referring to the visualization exercise). JCG students will continue to work on the Goal4 It! process throughout this school year and, hopefully, going forward.  

Out-of-School Youth

Dashiyyah Felder registered with ResCare almost a year ago seeking to better her life by way of gaining steady employment, higher wages and a promising career path in an In-Demand industry. Trying to provide for herself and her two children, working for a temporary employment agency wasn't working for her. Wanting to climb the ladder of success, she was determined to stick to her plan. Since then, through her perseverance, she has achieved success in all three areas. She is now employed full time in the health care industry, making a significantly higher hourly wage, working regular hours and is in the process of applying for Great Oaks health care training. Dashiyyah is a shining inspiration to others and an excellent example of how hard work and dedication can pay off. 

Pictured left to right:  Ethan Arquello , ResCare Youth Services counselor and Dashiyyah Felder.

Tionce Taylor is 18 and has an intellectual disability. Tionce came to the ResCare Out-of-School Youth program looking for some guidance on how to get a job and how to complete his high school education.

With the guidance of his Talent Development Specialist, Michael Johnson, Tionce has taken big steps towards accomplishing both of his goals. 

He is currently working to achieve his GED and his teachers say he is doing a great job and moving forward since he started.

Tionce has wanted to get a job for some time and is happy since he just started his first job at Walmart and he is so proud about addressing this. Tionce says that he is going to work hard and “become CEO one day”.

Out-of-School Update

Taylor White is burning it up!

Since Taylor attained her STNA/PCA through Great Oaks Healthcare Professional Academy, she has only moved forward. This year, she obtained employment at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) as a Patient Care Assistant in their neurology department. She just received a raise in salary due to her outstanding dependability, proactiveness and customer service. In a recent performance review, her manager stated that she “successfully demonstrates Cincinnati Children’s values by following the Care Promises”. Her coworker’s commented “Taylor appears to be a great addition to A7NS. She has a great bedside manner and gets along well with patients and their families.”

Taylor’s planning to build her career at CCHMC. She has recently opened a retirement account and is in discussion to possibly adjust her schedule as she looks at further education.

Recruiting and Retaining the Next Generation

of Construction Craft Skilled Workforce

 

This episode features an interview with Jackie Alf of Jurgensen Companies, Anthony Ricciardi of Allied Construction Industries, Lydia Burns from Construction Career Advocate Program (SOC) and Sherry Kelley Marshall, President & CEO of the SWORWIB, as they discuss how to attract, recruit and train the next generation of construction craft skilled workers. Discover how the SWORWIB has been involved in construction industry efforts to increase exposure to the trades, and various industry trends as baby boomers exit the workforce. Sherry Kelley Marshall also shares her thoughts about the role the federal government can play in attracting young talent to the construction industry and recognizing how many industries have recognized credentials for which good paying jobs are available – and without college debt and dropouts.

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How to get involved

Partner with us

JA Inspire is made possible due to support from corporate and community organizations that believe in the importance of inspiring young people to own their economic success. Sponsors will benefit from association with this important mission through recognition in our advance promotional materials and signage throughout the event. Sponsors that wish to exhibit as employers will have prime visibility at the expo. Several sponsorship levels will be available

ranging from $1,200 to $20,000.

Exhibit at our event

We are looking for at least 50 employers excited to bring an interactive example of their work to our expo and engage with their future workforce. Exhibitors will have access to 4,000 young people who are actively planning their futures. Exhibitor fees can be found by clicking on the registration button below. Special pricing will be available for small companies and nonprofit organizations.

BOOTH REGISTRATION

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Laura Randall-Tepe | VP of Strategic Partnerships

513.346.7100 x 103 | [email protected]

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Contact: Sherry Kelley Marshall

President & CEO

[email protected]