The Heart of Ohio Tech Prep Consortium

COLLEGE TECH PREP & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

College Tech Prep and Your Business

With economists projecting a skilled worker shortage in Ohio by 2010 (despite the recent recession), the ongoing challenge of finding technology workers will intensify for businesses in central Ohio. State labor market projections place fast-growing job sectors, such as computer engineers, database administrators and home health aides, among those that will be the hardest to fill. (Source: Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Ohio Job Outlook.)

Many businesses, including yours, face the frequent challenge of finding qualified, technology-savvy employees to fuel your productivity.

College Tech Prep was designed with your needs in mind.

College Tech Prep = Workforce Development!

Tech Prep programs prepare talented high school students to move into two-year college programs that prepare them for high-skill, technology-oriented jobs. Graduates enter the workforce as technology-proficient workers -- with real-life job skills, solid academics, strong problem-solving abilities, and a can-do attitude. Many start working in their technical field right after high school, while continuing their education through an associate degree and beyond.

By getting involved with Tech Prep programs, you can serve both your short- and long-term H.R. needs while helping to develop the resources that our region needs to sustain and grow our economy and our tax base, even in times of downturn. The payoff for our communities will be huge.

Ten Great Ways to Get Involved with Tech Prep

There are a number of ways that you can become actively involved as a College Tech Prep partner. Becoming a Tech Prep partner provides your organization with opportunities to court your future recruits while helping strengthen their educational preparation. Consider some of these ideas:

Volunteer to serve on the Board of Directors of the Heart of Ohio Tech Prep Consortium. Not only does the Board help steer the direction of College Tech Prep in central and south-central Ohio, it also provides an forum for employers to have meaningful dialogue with area school superintendents and college administrators, some of the key educational leaders in the region. The Board meets three times a year at various locations around the consortium service area. For information about joining the Board, contact Mr. Claude Graves, Tech Prep Executive Director, at 614/837-9443 or cgraves@efcts.us .

Join a local Tech Prep program advisory committee. Every Tech Prep high school program has one. Usually they meet once or twice in a school year, and work to help increase the number of young people who sign up for the program, and improve the quality of the program (and its graduates). (Click here: Programs & Sites to find schools and colleges in your area that offer Tech Prep programs of interest to you.

Offer worksite learning opportunities for students with your organization, such as internships, or try them out in summer jobs or part-time positions after school and/or on weekends. (Click here: Programs & Sites to find contact information for high school or college Tech Prep programs and talk with their instructors about offering internships, shadowing, or other job-site experiences for Tech Prep students.)

Become a mentor for students preparing for careers in your field.

Offer summer teacher externships to high school teachers (including math, science, and other academic teachers) to help them understand your industry and bring first-hand business experiences back to the classroom. You may be surprised what skills and new ideas teachers can bring to your organization, too!

Become a Career Speaker at a school Career Day or in a Tech Prep classroom. Don't forget our middle schools and junior highs -- even young students benefit from a broader view on the kinds of careers that could match their interests and aptitudes.

Help inform parents about technology careers -- many don't have a clue, and steer their children away from golden opportunities. Get involved with your community’s parent-teacher association and help re-educate parents about the opportunities and importance of technology careers.

Support college scholarships. Encourage your company to create or expand college scholarships for Tech Prep high school graduates. And don't forget to tell promising students about company tuition reimbursement policies or other benefits that help your employees continue their education.

Be a judge! Volunteer to judge student projects at a local, regional, or state Tech Prep Student Showcase to show your support for Tech Prep and its students. Many Tech Prep programs also use Senior Projects to help make the senior year count -- your company could provide Senior Project mentors to advise the students during project development, or could help evaluate the projects at the end of the senior year.

Become an active Tech Prep advocate.   Tell your business colleagues and government contacts about Tech Prep and what it’s doing to train the workforce of the future. Meetings at Rotary Clubs, Chambers of Commerce, and professional association conferences are perfect opportunities. Contact the Heart of Ohio Consortium -- we can help with PowerPoint presentations, talking points, etc. See contact information at the bottom of this page

Columbus Chamber of Commerce Workforce Development Initiative

In recent years, the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce formed a partnership with Columbus Public Schools and Columbus State Community College to strengthen the Columbus Public education system and revitalize tomorrow's workforce by creating meaningful business and education partnerships. The result is a number of Career Academies that operate within select Columbus schools.

The Career Academies focus on creating dynamic schools that are relevant to a rapidly changing economy. The program combines a demanding college preparatory curriculum with practical, real-world applications all encompassed within a comprehensive high school reform movement that starts in the eighth grade.

The IT Career Academies at both Mifflin and West high schools are Heart of Ohio College Tech Prep partner schools, and are implementing select strands of Ohio's Tech Prep itWorks Information Technologies curriculum. If you are involved with the Columbus Chamber’s program, you are already involved with Tech Prep!

We encourage you to visit the Chamber’s website to learn about some of the unique things that are being done to support the Columbus Career Academies: www.columbus-chamber.org/workforce/careeracademies.htm.

And don’t forget -- the Tech Prep Consortium has many other active Tech Prep programs in schools and colleges across seven counties. Many of these programs already have graduates.

o        For details about program sites and contact persons, visit our complete Program List.

Want to Learn More?

Click Here to learn about labor laws and hiring for minors.

If you have questions or would like to talk with someone about getting involved with College Tech Prep, please contact any of the following consortium staff:

Claude E. Graves, Director
C/O Columbus State Community College
550 East Spring Street
Columbus , OH 43215
Voice: (614) 287-2452; Fax: (614) 287-3683

Marcia Key, Assistant Director
C/O Ohio University Lancaster Campus
1570 Granville Pike
Lancaster , OH 43130
Voice: (740) 654-6711 ext. 613; Fax: (740) 687-9497