Employment Connection partners with Job Corps to meet goals while building a skilled workforce
CLEVELAND – October 1, 2008 – The Employment Connection’s youth initiative, Operation Focus, which is a project of Mayor Frank G. Jackson, joined forces with Job Corps to fulfill a dual and mutual need. Employment Connection would like to recognize the Mayor’s Operation Focus Youth Program for its innovative workforce initiatives to provide training and employment opportunities for area youth. Employment Connection has been focusing on providing more youth initiatives throughout the City of Cleveland. After taking an on-site tour of the Cleveland Job Corps’ campus, Larry Benders, Executive Director of Employment Connection (City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County Workforce Development), learned that a large portion of the Job Corps students’ curriculum included on-the-job training and what better way to expose them to true work-life experiences and opportunities than to have them work through Employment Connection. This allows students to work adjacent to union workers who have experience and who can teach by example. These experiences and opportunities are designed to help students who are new to the construction industry begin solid career paths with professionals who provide the opportunity to gain additional skills to help them progress in their careers.
Job Corps’ IUPAT Sign Display Program has been working throughout the month of September on signage projects for the Employment Connection’s downtown site located at 1020 Bolivar Road. The project began with the kick-off of Workforce Services Month by designing and hanging banners at the Bolivar site’s entrance. The Job Corps’ IUPAT Sign Display Program is now working on building and door signage to assist with branding and building visibility.
“We are pleased with the students’ professionalism and talent,” states Dir. Benders. “Initiatives like this contribute a great deal to how we build a skilled workforce.” “It’s great to know that our youth participate in activities that promote positive change in the community,” said Michael Taylor, Dir. of Public Relations and Marketing, Job Corps/ATSI. “We often times only hear about the negative things that involve today’s youth.” “We pride ourselves on how we encourage our students to exceed the standard and work toward success.” We are grateful to Employment Connection for cultivating such a relationship and endorsing this initiative.”
The vision of the initiative is to create a more stable youth workforce by building their confidence and helping them be more competitive. All training is supervised by Job Corps instructors and City of Cleveland union workers. The plan and path is to build a skilled workforce. The goal is that upon graduation, the Job Corps Graduates would be more marketable which would in-turn make them more eligible for immediate and stable employment.
Along with Job Corps’ IUPAT Sign Display Program, Employment Connection works with Cleveland Job Corps through the Building and Maintenance, Masonry/Bricklaying and Carpentry Vocational Programs which have all been incorporated into the Job Corps’ Work-Based Learning Initiatives and Career Management Training Programs. Because Employment Connection and Cleveland Job Corps/ATSI are connected through several relationships (Youth Council and Workforce Investment Boards) it was a mutual consensus that both parties work together to provide greater youth experiences through Work Based Learning and mentoring initiatives. The agreement was to allow Employment Connection to provide valuable work experience, skills and mentoring to Job Corps students interested in increasing their job readiness skills in various areas of Construction and Business Technology.
Employment Connection is also involved in a number of community initiatives with a major emphasis on Cleveland’s youth. These initiatives include, but are not limited to:
- Mayor’s Operation Focus Program
- Mayor of Cleveland/County Commissioners Summer Employment Initiative
- U.S. Army’s March 2 Success Tutoring Initiative
- National Association of Black Sports Professionals Youth Initiatives
- Scranton Jobs Partnership
- All Sports Academy
About Employment Connection
A Collaborative Workforce System between the City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County serving Northeast Ohio employers and job seekers. There are 11 locations throughout Cuyahoga County offering employment and training services. For more information please visit www.employmentconnection.us.
About Job Corps
Job Corps is a no-cost education and vocational training program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor that helps young people ages 16 through 24 get a better job, make more money, and take control of their lives. At Job Corps, students enroll to learn a trade, earn a high school diploma or GED and get help finding a good job. When you join the program, you will be paid a monthly allowance; the longer you stay with the program, the more your allowance will be. Job Corps provides career counseling and transition support to its students for up to 12 months after they graduate from the program. Funded by the United States Congress, Job Corps has been training young adults for meaningful careers since 1964. Job Corps is committed to offering all students a safe, drug-free environment where they can take advantage of the resources provided.
Clark V. Hayes is the CEO/Owner of Applied Technology Systems, Inc. (ATSI) which is the operator of the Cleveland Job Corps Academy. Dr. Laura Allen-Davis is the Center Director of Cleveland Job Corps Academy.
