Happy New Year from us here at Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates! We are thrilled to extend our heartfelt wishes as we enter 2024. To get the year off right, let’s go over some of the goals for 2024, with the goal to surpass the remarkable year we had in 2023.

We are so proud of the accomplishments that all our students have achieved since starting the JOG program. Brendon is one of the students who graduated in our July 2023 graduation as a part of our GED program, and we are so proud of his journey with JOG. From being wary of another program that just won’t work for him, to becoming a high school graduate, Brendon has made tremendous strides.

Everyone needs someone to push them in their life. That could be a friend, a family member, a coworker, or a Career Specialist. Our staff at JOG works hard every day to help young people across Northeast Ohio succeed in their educational training, GED programs, and learn lifelong skills through programs like soft skill training. Lauren Eaken is a beacon of what passing positive reinforcement and ambition on to our JOG participants looks like.

2023 has been an outstanding year for us here at JOG. We have been able to expand our services to provide work readiness programs and soft skill training to even more students in an expanded list of schools we are in. We cannot do this without the generous help of our Career Specialists. They help us drive our mission and exceed the standards for programming set by Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG). Here is a little more on our 2023 outcomes and how our work this year helped our numbers soar.

What a year it has been here at Tri-County Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates (JOG)! We have been lucky enough to experience growth across both our staff and programming. This ranges from an expansion of our partnership with Akron Public Schools, to our first ever middle school programming, and even kickstarting a program in Ashland County both in-school and out-of-school.

This year at the Leadership Development Conference, Tri-County Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates (JOG) asked our participants to provide written testimonials on their experiences with JOG and some of what they like about the program. We receive plenty of great feedback from students across all 5 of the counties we work in: Ashland, Medina, Stark, Summit, and Trumbull. Here is some of the feedback students provided.

Caring is one of the keys to success in being a JOG Career Specialist. The ability to be proficient in relaying the core values of what we do alongside preparing students for the working world is tough, and coming from a place of compassion and care is the best way to do it effectively. Carolyn French has been a part of Tri-County Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates (JOG) for 5 years now, joining in August 2018. She has worked in her role since joining as a Career Specialist for Buchtel CLC and Firestone CLC but transitioned to a new role this year. Carolyn brought with her a background of working with young adults and high school kids and getting them involved in the workplace.

Tri-County Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates (JOG) not only provides support related to our students’ education and career paths, but also supports outside the classroom, connecting our students to what they need in their daily lives. To do this, we have created the Endurance Fund, which gives JOG students one-time help for personal barriers that keep them from continuing toward their goals. This could be helping them get a flat tire replaced on the car they use to get to work or purchasing childcare supplies or toiletries when they have started a job but that first paycheck hasn’t come in.

This past Wednesday, 11/1/2023, we hosted our annual Leadership Development Conference (LDC) at the John S. Knight Center in Akron, OH. Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates (JOG) has been providing a place for our students to learn about how to become inspiring leaders since the LDC’s inception. This year, famed Ohio State University and Youngstown State University coach Jim Tressel gave an inspiring speech on how to be an equitable leader to both others and oneself.

One of the best things about working at Tri-County Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates (JOG) is being able to help our students achieve their dreams. From helping our students realize what pathways they want to follow, to getting connected with real-world companies in those professions, JOG works to get our students started on the road to their goals as empowered young adults. Our Career Specialist, Matt Turner was able to do just that with his student Mia.

Staff at Tri-County Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates (JOG) play an important role in empowering our students. From building strong relationships, to mentorship and guidance to teaching academic skills, our Career Specialists do a little bit of everything to get our students that extra mile. One staff member who is a shining example of leadership and heart is Tiffany Mealy.

At Tri-County Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates (JOG), we strive to help today’s Northeast Ohio youth achieve academic success, but we also help get our JOG students into full-time jobs in career paths that interest them. We do this through internal efforts to connect youth with opportunity and the generosity of our community partners. In our 2023 6-for-6 performance outcomes, 74% of of JOG students were employed, 84% were employed full-time and 75% had a positive full-time employment outcome. Here’s how we do it.

Tri-County Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates (JOG) has worked hard to bring in great staff working to excite young people in Ohio about workforce development and personal growth since our inception in 1987. Our outgoing staff is our greatest strength in helping bridge the gap between today’s youth and the job market. The JOG program works to not only help our participants by seizing opportunities presented to us but also empower them to thrive. It really is an environment of mutual benefits of personal growth and reward.

Many of our students at Tri-County Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates (JOG) have overcome hurdles in their lives, whether personal, social, or at home. Regardless of their background, JOG works hard to bring growth to Ohio youth, both professionally and personally. Galaxie is a current JOG student who has been able to overcome various barriers in her path to success and grow into her own.

Tri-County Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates (JOG) is lucky to have staff who are dedicated to the mission of the JOG program. Through the practical application of our competencies in assisting students in achieving real-world success, Abbey Blake has played a pivotal role in helping Alliance High School students create lasting positive impressions in their careers and personal lives.

At Tri-County Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates (JOG), we talk a lot about how to get our youth on academic and career paths to success. But how exactly do we measure these? In order to prove that we are getting the work done, we apply the Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) model of the 6-for-6 performance outcomes.