The Career Success Coalition’s (CSC) first meeting was well-attended by over 40 people from all over the county.
The meeting took place at the Weidner School of Inquiry where many school administrators, organization members, business owners and entrepreneurs gathered to hear a presentation put together by Linda Yoder of the United Way of Marshall County, Billie Treber of the Boys and Girls Club, and Jerry Chavez of the Marshall County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC).
Yoder opened with the purpose of the day’s meeting in helping learners, both adult and students.
“This is a conversation that’s been going on for a long time, and we’re not along in it. It’s impacting a lot of communities, especially in the Midwest,” she said of declining student success.
In Yoder’s dealing with the community, one of the comments she has heard from companies is a shortage of qualified workers, and this deficiency is the biggest impediment to the area’s growth.
According to the research, by 2020 more than 60 percent of jobs will require some post-secondary education skills. Of the 65 percent of students that enroll in college after high school, only 12 percent now graduate.
“The thing we want to provide is the infrastructure to take the conversation to the next step. For us it’s economic development, quality of life. It’s out future,” stated Yoder. Yoder stated another purpose of the meeting was not to just provide a review of previously held community aspirations, but to consider challenges and opportunities, and begin to create the vision and goals that would determine the course of the coalition.
The plan will be a three year implementation that will set the vision for what the coalition desires to achieve in Marshall County.
According to Yoder, the 60 coalitions formed statewide have actively formed and created activities that give the opportunity to be engaged. Using those groups as a focus, Yoder stated that “It’s a network of community organizations that actively are working together to increase education access and success.”
Member organizations of the coalition will be asked to implement at least one activity per year to offer opportunities and engage learners, focus on recruitment of others to join the coalition, and create a support network of opportunities in the county.
Treber started off the workshop portion of the meeting by talking about what kinds of goals and visions the members want to achieve.
Unanimously it was decided that those gathered wanted learners to achieve a certificate or diploma of achievement through post high school education 100 percent of the time. College and secondary education was broadly defined as four year, two year, apprenticeship and trade programs, and military training education.
Among the group conversation was a discussion of how to best encourage ideal student choices, how to prepare students for success and access, and how parents can play a critical role in those determiners of success.
Treber stated that parents, youth services, faith based organizations, schools, media, business, community foundations, public libraries, and colleges were the target groups the coalition could focus on to create community involvement through the coalition’s efforts.
The members broke down into groups and brainstormed ideas that ranged from promoting opportunities with flyers to articles on trades and college awareness through media, training for parents, and even coordinating internship opportunities through community organizations not previously considered.
The group reconvened to discuss those brainstormed ideas, as well as hear from Chavez on economic development opportunities that could benefit student learners.
Provided by our news partners at the Pilot
1946: Jim Condon speaks to members of his group during a brainstorming session at the Career Success Coalition’s first meeting in Marshall County. Condon spoke on the topic of ways to utilize the media to disseminate information about career access, success, and opportunities.
1970: Heath Thornton and Trend Weldy of Bremen attended the Career Success Coalition meeting, representing interest from the Bremen area. The coalition gathered to discuss goals and begin the process of determining a vision and mission statement for where and what the coalition can achieve in helping student learners succeed.
1955: Lorna Shively discusses ways to help faith based organizations, such as churches and youth groups, provide opportunities to student learners outside of the classroom move onto a path for career success with help from the community as Lorna Shively listens in.
1898: Linda Yoder of United Way opened the Career Success Coalition meeting with an overview of previous community conversations that had taken place concerning low post secondary education skills in the county. Before a crowd of over 40 people, Yoder stressed the importance of coming together as a community to help student learners have access and success in their post high school careers.
