Raise the Bar awarded $250K

Raise the Bar Hancock County, a nonprofit formed to address the workforce shortage, has won a $250,000 state grant to accelerate its efforts for youth, adults and employers. The funds will allow Raise the Bar to simultaneously reach educators, parents, employers, job seekers and students about expanding opportunities in manufacturing. The funds will help existing programs, including Leader in Me and Manufacturing Day for middle school students; career and college day for high school students; and earn-and-learn pathways like OH! FAME (Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education). Raise the Bar also seeks to pilot a new career assessment process to place high school students with companies/mentors that align to individual interests and aptitudes. Raise the Bar's work "plays a crucial role in making sure individuals graduating from our K-12 (kindergarten through 12th grade) and higher education systems, as well as current employees, hold the soft and technical skills they need to be successful and to add value to any local business," said Raise the Bar Executive Director Tricia Valasek. "We want individuals to gain exposure to career options and soft skill development beginning at a young age and then, because of meaningful connections between employers and education providers, gain the credentials, certificates, and/or degree they need to be gainfully employed," Valasek said. "Intentional connections among employers, policymakers, education providers and social service providers will spring our community, citizens and workforce forward." The grant comes from Ohio's Industry Sector Partnership Grant program, which strives to build strong workforce collaborations across Ohio that will fill in-demand jobs and further diversify and grow a high-quality, dynamic workforce.