New SWORWIB Board Members
Induction Ceremonies
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Board Term completer and new President of the Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners (HCBOCC), Denise Driehaus, graced our Annual Meeting for the induction ceremony swearing in new Board Members. On the left is HCBOCC President Denise Driehaus. Right to Left are: Stephanie Summerow Dumas, Vice President of the HCBOCC (
and both President and Vice President are the first women officers and Dumas is the first African American woman in Ohio to serve on a county board of commissioners
); Paula Brehm-Heeger; Michael Prus, DeJuan Gossett, Amy Madliger, Diana Mairose, Diana Small, Chris Xeil Lyons, Jonathan Allen and Khurram Altaf. Not pictured Rene Dean, André Williams and Jennifer Winstel.
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10th Anniversary
SuperAwards
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The 2019 SuperAwards ceremony on February 14th, marked the 10th Anniversary of the SWORWIB SuperAwards.
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Cargill
Cargill was recruiting for well-paying positions in Colorado and reached out to OMJ Cincinnati-Hamilton County. There were 13 hiring events in 2018. A minimum of 90 job offers were made. We want to recognize Teresa Gonzalez, Recruiting Specialist and Angela Creech, Sr. Employee Experience Specialist both of who were not in town for the Annual Meeting.
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United Envelope
United Envelope has been a very good employer partner. In addition to holding hiring events at OMJ, they also have hired individuals using the On-the-Job training accounts. They have been very willing as well to participate in community hiring events and job fairs. Representatives Tina Gatto and Louis A. Woerner accepted the award.
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Clippard
Clippard Instrument Labs has participated in multiple iring events and job fairs focused on dislocated workers. They have worked closely with Leah Winkler, our regional Rapid Response Coordinator, to hire dislocated workers. Clippard considered about a half dozen candidates and arranged for on-the-job training for two. Kimberly Herrmann, Talent Acquisition Team Coordinator, received the award.
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Walmart
The Evendale Walmart has used the OMJ Center for hiring events and training activities. They have hired dozens of individuals working with the Business Services Team for recruitment. Training Director Doris J Barnes, accepted the award.
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CAA and Darqueze Dennard
Bengals cornerback, Darqueze Derrell Dennard formed
the Dennard Difference Foundation which recently purchased a foreclosed duplex for a needy Cheviot family that lost its single mother and is being adopted by another single mother. Dennard found out about the family plight during a
Learning Is Cool
event at Cheviot Elementary School. The school principal reached out to CAA’s YouthBuild Academy to see if they would have an interest in doing a service-learning project for the needy family which CAA considered and the YouthBuild students were eager to assist. As a token of his appreciation for the YouthBuild student’s rehab work, he surprised the class with Bengals gear and a personal visit encouraging the students to get their high school diploma and learn a trade as a stepping stone to pursuing their life goals and dreams. The SWORWIB recognizes CAA Youth Build (Mira Smith and Mason Grey accepted the award) and Dennard was at his home in Georgia.
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CPS Aspire – Adult 22+ and Career Technical Partnerships
CPS Aspire has actively pursued career technical partnerships for their students and in particular their new Adult 22+ students. Recently they worked with the YWCA First Course program and now are working with Social OTR Restaurant with career training in food preparation and other kitchen skills. Roberta Thomas was recognized for her ASPIRE leadership.
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Job Corps and Brogan Tire
Russ Brogan has been the owner of Brogan Tires, Inc. in Cincinnati for 44 years, operating a small automotive shop that has been a work-based learning partner with the Cincinnati Job Corps Center for the last ten years. Brogan is knowledgeable, patient and willing to work with the students. Brogan has participated in the center’s automotive council meetings and has provided first-hand information on how to improve the training. Most of all, he has had a lasting impact on more than 20 young adults and has hired many of them. Russ Brogan and Sharon Thompson of Job Corps accepted the award.
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Paula Brehm-Heeger
Paula and her team have undertaken a Workforce Series in Hamilton County Library Branches taught by the OMJ Center Team and allowing the SWORWIB reach to be the OMJ Center and 40 library branches in communities throughout Cincinnati and Hamilton County.
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IKRON
Both Randy Strunk and Melissa Harmeling are recognized for their leadership in Hamilton County coordinating a statewide initiative known as the Ohio Drug Free Workforce Initiative in 2017-2018 and providing information on marijuana and other drugs for employers, service providers and jobseekers. Their effective leadership on this campaign confirmed our selection for IKRON to assist the SWORWIB with Area #13’s Opioid grant for dislocated workers.
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Zak Nordyke
The SWORWIB has worked with Zak Nordyke on various workforce and training efforts for several years, but none have been as successful as his role as the Dohn School 22+ Director who provided the SWORWIB and OMJ Center an opportunity to serve individuals without a high school diploma to “come to school” within the OMJ Center, but to also learn the other services available to them in their journey that the OMJ Center could provide for their success.
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Kathy Holzderber Super Committee Volunteer – OMJ Recertification
The OMJ Recertification Committee recruited from the WIOA Core Partners Council, the OMJ Business Engagement Committee and the OMJ4PWD Committee for the OMJ Recertification Committee required by the Department of Labor and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. We recognize Kathy Holzderber, a community representative on the OMJ Business Engagement Committee who dedicated dozens of hours in tedious but essential detail review of the required materials.
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OMJ Recertification Team
We also recognize the service provided by other committee contributors to the OMJ Recertification Committee with SWORWIB Stars: Elisa Bates, Paul Brehm, Paula Brehm-Heeger, Natasha Chesnut, Catherine Fitzgerald, April Gillespie-Hurst, Carol Gittinger, Mason Gray, Pam Green, Kevin Holt, Tammy Jacobson, Laurence Jones, Lynn Murphy, Matt Owens, Jennifer Roeder, Trisha Rogers-Lowey, Phil Schneider, Debbie Smith, Mira Smith, Benita Spraggins, Gena Strehle, Randy Strunk, Tyronne Stuckey, Robin Throckmorton, Roberta Thomas, Leah Winkler, Zak Nordyke.
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Cindy Frietch
Front Desk, Resource Room & Career Coach
Cindy is a special employee member of the OMJ Team. She provides immense competence at the pivotal front desk role greeting customers with appreciation and willingness to assist them. She also has responsibilities for assisting individuals in the resource room to do what they need to get done and use the various equipment options to do so. Her key differentiator is her commitment to going the extra yard – she shops for books for all ages, but particularly young children, sanitizes them and introduces them to our customers and their children in part to enrich our customers and to help them with children.
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Super OMJ Team - Junior Achievement
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The SWORWIB worked with Junior Achievement on the Inspire Expo at the Convention Center for Career Exploration for 9
th
graders. The OMJ Team of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services provided leadership to staff an OMJ.com BackPack exhibit at the event, in part while we were recognizing them at the Annual Meeting. John McClure, Bureau Chief, Workforce Services accepted the award for his regional team. We will recognize all the team members at another time since they are still at the exhibit. They are Brian Whitmer, Ruth Bridges, Lynda Hill, Timothy Oberding, Teresa Robinson, Victoria Turney and Sonja Walder. Kathleen Busemeyer of the OMJ Business Services Unit also provided services at the event. Additionally our Jobs for Cincinnati Graduates partners coordinated with the SWORWIB to fund transportation and lunch for several classes of 8
th
Graders involved in the career exploration work at Cincinnati Public Schools.
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The Junior Achievement of Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana partners listened to employers, students and school leaders about the dramatic need for career exposure for high school students in our community and responded with an expo at the Duke Energy Convention Center. 9
th
Graders from around the region came to the Inspire event prepared to ask the right questions. Inspire included a curriculum for the classroom that provides a fun and dynamic introduction to career exploration. When students return to school, they will create career roadmaps, identifying the high school classes and post-graduation plans needed to reach their goals. Jobs for Cincinnati Graduates also brought some of their JCG Career Exploration eighth graders to the event and the SWORWIB underwrote their lunch and bus expenses.
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Click
here
for video highlights of the JA Inspire Expo
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Spotlight on Labor Market Information
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SWORWIB Partners Spotlight
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Douglas came to the OhioMeansJobs Center after being referred by the Veteran Services Commission. At OMJ he met with a Disabled Veterans Outreach Specialist. He needed assistance filing for veteran services to treat a service related injury. Staff provided that connection and assured submission of a completed VA application. He was having problems paying for food. Staff connected him to the Freestore Foodbank. They were able to assist him with his application for SNAP and he was able to purchase groceries. He needed a resume. Veteran staff encouraged him to attend an interview workshop and provided hands-on help to create a resume. Volunteers of America staff was able to assist with gas cards, so he could get to all his interviews. He was offered and accepted a Project Coordinator’s position with NSC Global and was offered a comfortable wage for employment he recently accepted.
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Sherry Kelley Marshall visited with Nancy Austing, GE Aviation-Hourly Staffing Manager, in Evendale to deliver her individual certificates and her Certified Production Technician (CPT) credential and recognize her status as a Manufacturing Skills Standards Council-CPT Instructor in preparation for the SWORWIB’s America’s Promise Grant support for an Industrial Manufacturing Technician Apprenticeship Program. The grant will cover the related technical instruction (RTI) training costs and Nancy Austing will manage the recordkeeping for both on-the-job training and RTI.
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Over the past few months, OhioMeansJobs has worked with Path Forward to invest $30,000 in on-the-job training for six new hire employees. These employees have gained portable, in-demand, and living wage skills. The employer has gained high-quality and fully prepared workers. The community benefits from a stable and growing local employer, and increasingly skilled workforce.
According to Alena O’Donnell, Talent & Development Leader for Path Forward, “the BSU team has been amazing.” “From our initial meeting in August to the program’s inception, the communication and collaboration has been exceptional. The OMJ team did a terrific job helping us ramp up. They have provided wrap around services to maximize the benefits we can use. It’s an ideal partnership for a small company with less than 300 employees.” CEO, Nick Recker, also commented that “OMJ staff made the process very easy and user-friendly for us.”
O’Donnell also mentioned that they are please with the on-the-job training (OJT) program candidates. The OJT program allowed the company to extend employment opportunities to non-traditional candidates who need additional time and training to succeed in todays technology driven jobs. This has helped Path Forward tap into a new pool of applicants who otherwise would have had a difficult time being successful in their new roles. In addition, employment with Path Forward has allowed the OJT new hires’ income to increase by 23%, compared to previous jobs.
The company also provides many paths to advancement in the fast-growing industry of medical practice back-office services.
One of the OJT new hires has a special appreciation for the supportive services provided by OMJ for her new job at Path Forward. “Ms. M.” began her job in the Call Center at Path Forward in September. She had been experiencing unemployment and was financially strapped. She literally went to work on her first day not knowing how she would get home because she didn’t have money for gas. She was thrilled to find out that she would receive transportation supportive services. In addition, Ms. M’s. income has increased 17% from her previous employment. Since starting her job she has also become a team lead who trains new hires.
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Spotlight on Technology for Youth
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President Marshall met up for “Level Up TechOlympics 2019” with Heather Ackels, Executive Director of INTERalliance of Greater Cincinnati and Michael Beck, a TechOlympics volunteer and completion judge.
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The INTERalliance of Greater Cincinnati has helped over 5,500 area high school students learn about local careers in IT through its programs, including summer internships for high school students with Fortune 100 companies. The University of Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky University, and Miami University are its key immersive technology-in-business summer camps hosted by area universities and businesses, and its flagship conference, college partners. 54 of the area's high schools are served by its programs, with over 650 students reached each year.
For high school students, TechOlympics is a chance to compete against their peers and hone technical and professional skills. The February 22-24
th
event weekend was hosted at the Millennium Hotel Cincinnati. The theme for 2019 was “Level UP” promoting learning from informed leaders in the Information Technology (IT) industry, network with top level IT executives and showcase their technological prowess in competitions and breakout sessions. This weekend covers every area of IT - from design, to gaming, to cybersecurity – TechOlympics helps students explore which IT pathway is right for them.
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At the Friday night gathering, a Max Technical representative announced their scholarship program for a high school student to take one of their very successful code bootcamps. Students were encouraged to apply.
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Click
here
for for more information
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Woodward High School Students
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Third Annual "Sticks 4 Kicks"
Candace Jones, Center Front in the picture below is surrounded by members of the Carthage Ladder Company 2 and other EMS team members, two Woodward student volunteers for the event and Sherry Kelley Marshall, SWORWIB President to the far left and Hope Arthur, Director, Health Careers Collaborative, Partners for a Competitive Workforce at the far right. Behind the photo are students of phlebotomy and volunteers of the “Sticks4Kicks”
Event at Woodward so students could get 30 “sticks” experiences each in preparation for their course completion and hopeful results for their state test. Jones is a healthcare teacher at Woodward High School who coordinated the event for her students and approached Marshall to expand connections with the healthcare community. Marshall recruited Sean Kelley of PCW who works with education projects, Sharron DiMario, Program Director, UC Area Health Education Center and Hope Arthur noted in the photo below. Special appreciation to Sharron DiMario for recruiting healthcare volunteers to oversee the students and their “sticks”!
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Jobs for Cincinnati Graduates (JCG)
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Winton Woods 3rd Annual
College and Career Fair
Winton Woods High School hosted their 3
rd
Annual Community College and Career Fair on February 12, 2019. There were close to 200 students and adults from the community who attended. The event was designed to connect individuals to potential employers, post-secondary education and training providers and make exciting network connections. One Hundred (100) employers covered in-demand career pathways in: Construction, Advanced Manufacturing, Transportatio and Logistics, Information Technology, Healthcare and Administrative Assistants in Finance and Healthcare. In addition to the fair, workshops were conducted: NCAA for student athletes, FAFSA Preparation and S.M.A.R.T (Social Media Awareness and Responsibility Training).
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Construction at Shroder
Tommy White, Project Manager formerly with Cahill Construction Company in Columbus and starting at new job with Cincinnati Macy’s Store Environment Department spoke to JCG students at Shroder Paideia High School. He shared his background, education, co-op experiences and how that led to his first job and managing multiple projects in different states. He also discussed different career paths and the demand for construction management, skilled trade compentencies thourghout the country. He walked students through a 360-degree visual of one of his projects, start to finish, and had students identify all of the different trades working on the project. Students asked questions about education and training for each professional trade, potential earnings, length of each project, traveling and potential internships.
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JCG Citywide Officers
Making a Difference
Jobs for Cincinnati Graduates (JCG) Citywide Career Development officers met on their day off from school to discuss the upcoming Career Development Conference held in April and plan activities supporting the five goals of the Cincinnati Career Association: Leadership Development, Career Preparation, Civic Awareness, Social Awareness and Service Learning/Community Service. All activities of the Career Association are designed to promote the opportunity to practice the Jobs for America (JAG) Competencies and skills developed in the JCG classrooms. Their productive meeting was highlighted by the announcement that they raised $700 to donate to the Bethany House! CYC President and CEO, Ericka Copeland-Dansby was present to congratulate the team.
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Focus on Princeton High School
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Princeton Superintendent Tom Burton encourages community
and business Individuals to present to their high school students
and attend quarterly events showcasing Princeton students as well as linking them to community leaders.
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Juniors and Seniors heard about the importance of attendance, self-discipline, punctuality and respect in the workplace from Kathy Goodwin-Williams of pathway to Life and the Village of Lincoln Heights; Ron Chambers of LegalShield/ID Shield and Ethan Arguello of ResCare Youth Services.
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President Sherry Kelley Marshall arranged a February meeting with Superintendent Tom Burton (right); Chris Xeil Lyons, Sharonville Economic Development and new SWORWIB Board Member (middle); and Ethan Arguello, ResCare Youth Program serving out-of-school youth in Hamilton County (left) to discuss how to work together to assist young people with their next choices after high school and employers with their workforce challenges. Burton is championing a periodic community and business breakfast with students presenting to the large audiences. The next event is highlighted below.
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Click on image for more information
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President Marshall was the last speaker before the many Dohn 22+ about-to-be graduating students who celebrated at the Champions Club of the 5/3
rd
Bank Arena at the University of Cincinnati on February 27
th
. Zak Nordyke, standing in the center of the group of graduates and featured speakers, lead off the session with his pride for the graduates and excitement for their next opportunities to fulfill more of their hopes and dreams. Faculty from the various Dohn campuses complimented the students on their tenacity to obtain their diploma. Marshall requested that the Dohn 22+ School within the OMJ Center be renamed as the Central Parkway campus, rather than downtown campus, so more students would be interested since the OMJ Center at 1916 Central Parkway has free parking available. Tom Collins of TechTricians, a fiber & data training organization, announced a scholarship to a Dohn 22+ graduate. My-Cola Pearson. Evans Nwankwo, President of Megen Construction Company, complimented the graduates for their work ethic and drive to achieve this significant accomplishment and noted he was so moved by comments from the students that he announced a $1000 grant to Dohn 22+.
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Marshall was interviewed twice in February about the current employment market. See stories below.
Spectrum News 1
WCPO Ghosting Story
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Click on image for more information
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E12: Mind/Shift and Word/Shift – How Changing Our Messages and Language Can Help Empower Customers
Sherry Kelley Marshall discusses a conversation that the SWORWIB is having with committee members, workforce partners and legislative representatives about Mind/Shift and Word/Shift and how changing our messaging and words can have a positive impact on customers’ lives. Discover the work that the SWORWIB is leading in both a white paper on Mind/Shift and Word/Shift, and what’s behind the pursuit of these messages and wording that needs adjustments for today’s era.
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Click on image for more information
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Click on image for more information
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Click on image for more information
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Donations Appreciated
The SWORWIB is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Would you or your organization like to support the continued success of the workforce board? To make a donation (tax deductible) to the SWORWIB in support of Cincinnati-Hamilton County workforce initiatives, email Sherry Kelley Marshall at [email protected].
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Contact: Sherry Kelley Marshall
President & CEO
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