CEO program kicks off countywide effort

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Approximately 100 students, parents, school officials, and other interested people attended the 2018-19 kick-off of the Career Education Opportunity (CEO) program held in the First Federal Lecture Hall of the Niswonger Performing Arts Center of Northwest Ohio.

In three years, the program has grown from 17 students and 13 business partners in 2016-17 to more than 56 students and 44 businesses, with even more businesses interested in participating, this school year. For the first time, the CEO program is a countywide program that is being offered to students at Lincolnview and Crestview, as well as Van Wert.

Kerry Koontz, who created the program with direction from VWHS Principal Bob Priest and former superintendent Ken Amstutz and is currently its coordinator, welcomed those who attended Wednesday’s meeting, noting that the program is a response to a concern that not enough was being done to help students who wanted to stay in the area find rewarding jobs and careers, coupled with the fact that many good-paying jobs in the area were going unfilled because of a lack of qualified candidates.

Koontz noted that, while the CEO program helps students confirm a career is right for them, it sometimes shows students that a career they were interested in isn’t a good fit.

“Some are finding out that this the route they want to go, some are seeing the opposite,” he said.

Students and their parents must sign a contract to participate in the program, while students must also submit resumes and cover letters, and interview for jobs they want, just like in real life.

Koontz noted that some jobs are unpaid volunteer positions, while others are paid by employers, but all positions provide students with the kind of “real world” experience and business connections they can’t get in a classroom.

The ultimate aim of the program is to provide local jobs for students and keep them in the Van Wert County community, Koontz said.

Also speaking during the kick-off was Van Wert Area Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Stacy Adam, who provided a number of demographics showing that, while the county has approximately 1,000 fewer Millennials than other counties like it, it also has approximately 1,000 more Baby Boomers ready to retire — making it imperative that more workers are found to fill the jobs left behind by retirees.

In addition, the county added more than 1,000 new jobs to the local economy in the last five years, while unemployment has decreased to the point where it is below the threshold where a county is assumed to have “full employment”.

She also encouraged students and their parents to access the www.vanwertworks.comwebsite, noting that the site allows students to submit employment profiles, while also allowing those seeking a job to submit resumes and employers to post job openings. The site also has links to state and national employment resources.

Adam also promoted the CEO program and what it offers to county students.

“We want you to be exposed to jobs that you are interested in, and you have a great opportunity to do that through the CEO program,” she noted.