JOG the Web: Out of School Program

Students throwing their caps up in the air during the December 2022 JOG Graduation.

4/06/2023

When thinking about what we do at Tri-County Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates (JOG), most people think of our in-school programs. Though those are very important, so is our out-of-school program. Not every participant we work with is a “traditional” student. Some have dropped out and are looking to obtain their GED. Some have graduated and are looking for career assistance. But most are somewhere in-between.

JOG’s out-of-school program is unlike any other educational program because it is designed to be flexible and realistic. Educationally, we offer virtual tutoring and classes to fit our participants’ demanding schedules. We understand that life happens. Work, kids, and family commitments can make time to dedicate to personal success difficult. That doesn’t mean that achieving educational goals should be out of reach. Our out-of-school Career Specialists work to “meet you where you are at” as part of the Jobs for America’s Graduates, (JAG) model. This means that we work hard to help you from where you really are in life, not where you or someone else feels you should be. From tutoring in subjects for the GED to guidance in the soft skills needed to keep a job, we want to see our participants succeed.

The soft skills are an often-overlooked part of employment that we work hard to make sure is instilled in our participants. Things like being on time, honesty, telling your boss when you need extensions, being able to take criticism, and eye contact are all important to keeping jobs. It is important for participants to have these skills learned both from staff of the JOG program as well as on-site in work experiences.

We also work with our participants to help place them into jobs. Similar to our in-school job placement, we work with community partners to help connect participants with career paths they want to be in. If a career path is not immediately available, like marketing for example, we work to help introduce applicable paths for them to achieve their goals. This could be talking about trade schools, apprenticeships, or colleges for whatever avenue would be most applicable.

We take great satisfaction in our capacity to assist our participants outside of the classroom. From amazing community partners, to helping our students achieve their academic successes, we are happy to supply services to help our students meet their goals.