by Isabella Carwile | Sep 11, 2024 | Community, Jobs, Workforce
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release September 11, 2024
PAULDING– The two-star awarded Paulding County Business Advisory Council (BAC) Committee participated in their third quarter meeting this week. The meeting was moved to the Junior Leadership Building on the county fairground campus as remediation continues at the OSU Extension building.
Nineteen business leaders and educators introduced themselves and met to discuss the continued growth of the council and how it can benefit school, student, and business relationships in the future.
The highlight of the meeting was the introduction of data from the county-wide YouScience results. Over the past two years county students, at all three county schools, have participated in the YouScience aptitude assessment modules. YouScience modules are developed to help students understand what employment sector they most commonly align with, versus what they think they want to do after school. The contrast is eye-opening for many students and their teachers. The data was shared for 16 different business sectors including education, manufacturing, agriculture finance, and more. YouScience is funded through Vantage Career Center for all of their 13 participating schools.
“We were continually told by educational services groups that are ahead of us in these assessments, that the number one interest by students will be in education. Every student is familiar and aware of teachers and most think that is what they want to be. When the data came out it was spot on. 319 of the 711 students who completed the modules noted their interest in education. Only 99 students actually had an aptitude for education. There was more than a 3-1 ratio of students who do not have an aptitude for teaching “think” they should be in education. It proves that students relate to what they are exposed to. We have to make a concerted effort with our Paulding County students to introduce and expose them to other business sectors before they make college major choices or choose a business industry path that may not suit them at all,” explained Paulding County Economic Director Tim Copsey. “Introducing students to a variety of employment sectors available right out of high school, or after college, will help guide to them choices that benefit them down the road earlier and with less expense. That is our goal.”
The county schools all shared updates of innovative opportunities they are providing in their respective schools. Vantage Career Center also shared exciting new and updated information about school student and adult programming. It was also reported that during the 2023-24 school year a whopping 1853 credentials were issued. That was up 34% from the previous year. It was also shared that career center enrollment was up another 56 students this school year.
The important item of the meeting was that the new state required 2024-25 school year BAC template is due to Columbus before September 30. Schools and businesses are asked to submit any business-student activities that promote collaboration. All of the collective results will be submitted for review and graded in the two-to-four-star categories at the state level. Paulding County went from no rating in 2022-23 to a two-star rating last year. The hope is to maintain the two-star or improve again this school year.
The group will convene for their fourth quarter meeting December 11.
by Isabella Carwile | Sep 6, 2024 | Community, Events, Jobs, Workforce
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release Sept. 3, 2024
Paulding – The Van Wert County Economic Development office will be hosting a “Build your Future” event on September 18th, 2024 at the Van Wert County Fairgrounds. All Paulding County schools are invited to attend this year’s event. This event will be divided into two sessions – a morning session + afternoon session.
Here’s a recap of the event.
Vantage students in Carpentry, Construction, Electricity, Industrial Mechanics, & Welding, along with local business partners & sponsors, provide local freshman & sophomores hands on activities related to the Industrial field. The students work their way through multiple booths featuring different activities where they can weld, frame a wall, use a skid loader, etc.
The event will bring freshman & sophomore students from all three Paulding County high schools to learn about, meet and discuss future opportunities with area businesses.
“This event is an opportunity for students to become familiarized with local business and what they do, gain awareness of various careers, get leads on summer employment and much more. We understand that each student is in a different place with job and future education decisions. Our hope with this event is to meet students where they are in that decision process and help provide them with numerous options to consider for their future.” stated Economic Development, Administer Assistant, Jessica Stechschulte.
The event will run 1st session; 9 am – 11 am. 2nd session; 12 pm- 2 pm. Each school will then bus their students to the event on the hour for forty-five minutes.
Students will be provided with all safety PPE materials needed upon arrival.
by Isabella Carwile | Aug 14, 2024 | Community, Jobs, Paulding County Business Weekly Radio Broadcast, Workforce
This week on Paulding County Business Weekly we have Greg Johnson, President & CEO, and Jeff Starner, CFO of the Herbert E. Orr company. Listen in to hear how the business began, where it’s been, and where it’s headed as it continues to be a viable employment option in Paulding County that continues to support #pauldingcountystrong efforts.
Thanks to OhioMeansJobs, you can tune in on Tuesdays & Thursdays at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., or Click Here to Listen Online! Paulding County Business Weekly is also available on many podcast platforms including Apple, Google & Spotify. #pauldingcountystrong
by Isabella Carwile | Jul 2, 2024 | Business Expansion, Community, Funding, Jobs, Membership, Paulding County Business Weekly Radio Broadcast, Workforce
Hear from Tiffany Rockhold, workforce supervisor at OhioMeansJobs, to learn all about the partnership, collaboration, and new programming and services that they offer from both the Paulding and Defiance County offices.
Huge thank you to OhioMeansJobs for sponsoring this program and for being this week’s guest!
You can tune in on Tuesdays & Thursdays at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., or listen online at https://lnkd.in/d-gMvXxP. Paulding County Business Weekly is also available in podcast form through Apple, Google & Spotify. hashtag#pauldingcountystrong
by Office Manager | May 1, 2024 | Community, Jobs, PCED Office, Workforce
Paulding, OH – Paulding High School proudly announces the successful completion of its after-school certification program in welding. The program, in its 3rd year of completion, is in collaboration with Northwest State Community College (NSCC) and allows students to gain skills and certifications including Welding, OHSA-10, LEAN Six Sigma, and Blueprint Reading.
Leading this initiative were Staci Miller, Paulding High School’s FFA Advisor, and Thomas Zuber, owner and operator of Zuber Welding and Fabrication. Their dedication and expertise were instrumental in guiding students through the class, preparing them for promising careers in welding or other hands-on skilled trades they would pursue.
“I have truly enjoyed co teaching with Thomas Zuber as we taught these students the basics of welding and blueprint reading and helping them to prepare for their futures by assisting with their resume and interviewing skills. This group of students have amazing potential and any employer would be lucky to have them. It shows true dedication for these students to want to stay after school to learn a skill like welding. We are so proud of each of them.” shared Miller.
Over the course of 13 weeks, students engaged in a mix of hands-on training, book work, interview skills and business tours at North American Stamping and Mansfield Welding. Under the guidance of Miller and Zuber, alongside partners Tiffany Rockhold with OhioMeansJobs and Tim Copsey and Kristen Schilt with Paulding County Economic Development, students gained experience and knowledge, totaling 50 hours of instruction outside of their regular school day and extracurriculars.
Reflecting on the experience, one student shared, “This welding class provided me with the basic skills to weld and read blueprints that could provide me with future employment while doing it in a fun and hands-on setting with our instructors. I gained many new skills and welding techniques as well as different welding methods. I would recommend the class to others in the future.”
The program graduates and their families celebrated their dedication and accomplishments last Thursday. Program graduates were Drake Ankney, Matthew Bail, Jesus Estrada, Giovanni Linares, Jonathan Lipps, and Samuel Reinhard.
Paulding High School remains committed to innovation and excellence in education, empowering students with the skills and certifications necessary to thrive in today’s workforce environment.
For more information about future workforce initiatives, Paulding High School’s welding program, or other opportunities here or around the county, please contact Paulding County Economic Development at 419-399-8282.
by Office Manager | Apr 29, 2024 | Community, Jobs, Membership, Workforce
Fremont, OH – The Paulding County Business Advisory Council (BAC) proudly announces its recent recognition for excellence, attaining a 2-star rating during a ceremony held on Friday at Terra State by Ohio College TechPrep.
In compliance with state regulation, all Ohio school districts and Educational Service Centers (ESC) are required to establish a Business Advisory Council. Ohio has over 110 councils, among which is the Paulding County Western Buckeye ESC BAC.
Members Tiffany Rockhold (OhioMeansJobs), Kim Wannemacher (Paulding County Hospital), Fahyth Griner (Haviland Drainage Company), and Kristen Schilt (Paulding County Economic Development) accepted the excellence award on behalf of the council. Their unwavering dedication has played a great role in shaping the BAC’s success.
Additionally, at the award ceremony, Paulding County Economic Development (PCED) Director Tim Copsey was honored with the 2024 Economic Development Partner of the Year Award for his exceptional collaboration contributions to the educational and business partners, the BAC and the overall community.
Established in 2021, the Paulding County BAC is committed to enhancing educational opportunities and fostering relationships between education and local businesses. Through quarterly meetings, the council facilitates collaboration between leaders in these sectors, creating learning experiences and preparing a skilled workforce. The council consists of businesses from different industries, including: manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, service sectors, as well as representatives from our three local school districts, Vantage Career Center, and regional colleges.
“Our BAC is dedicated to continually improving to benefit our students and local businesses,” shared Kristen Schilt Office Manager for PCED. “We are glad to be recognized as a ranked business advisory council this year. We know there are still workforce needs that need addressed in our community and our BAC will continue to work together to understand how collectively we can narrow those gaps.”
Partnerships between local schools and industries have resulted in initiatives such as: enhancing the annual spring career expo, teacher boot camp, Paulding HS welding program, Paulding HS construction program, Panthers for Career partnerships, Archer Advantage program, Antwerp Innovation and Aquaponics Center and the new Wayne Trace STEAM center. These initiatives not only enrich the learning experience for students but also help establish a skilled workforce tailored to the needs of the local economy.
As the Paulding County BAC looks to the future, it remains committed to fostering innovation, collaboration, and excellence in education and workforce development.
For more information about the Paulding County Business Advisory Council and its initiatives or to join an upcoming meeting, please contact Paulding County Economic Development at 419-399-8295.
BAC Members Pictured Left to Right:
Tiffany Rockhold, OhioMeansJobs Defiance/Paulding Counties, Kim Wannemacher, Paulding County Hospital, Kristen Schilt, Paulding County Economic Development, Fahyth Griner, Haviland Companies
