Looking for a new career? Many people might not know where to start. Would you know the best way to break into a construction job, or how to get work in the healthcare industry? For people with these kinds of questions, Ohio Means Jobs can help with a new monthly forum, the Career Pathway.
A collaboration between Ohio Means Jobs, the Zepf Center, and local colleges and employment agencies, Career Pathways present experiences and offer resources to job seekers looking to break into new fields on the third Friday of each month at the the Ohio Means Jobs Lucas County facility (former Source building).
A focus on your career
April Welch, account representative at Ohio Means Jobs for the Zepf Center, explained that the forums are made specifically for those interested in a certain career. “For example,” she said, “an individual interested in a medical career could come to the Healthcare Forum where they would find employment opportunities as well as education and training resources.”
Each month the forum has a different focus. February’s Career Pathway Forum focused on construction work, and March’s Forum is centered around nursing and health care. Careers are chosen due to the high demand for workers in those areas in Lucas County.
Though forums aren’t always career-specific, there is a planned future forum that’s dedicated to young people getting their first jobs, and another for senior citizens who’d still like to work. “Our goal is to educate them on how they can succeed in the career they choose,” Welch said.
An act of opportunity
The forums were born from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which was signed in 2014. The WIOA sets aside federal funds for workforce development activities created to help find people jobs. This law enables Lucas County to work with more groups seeking to increase employment opportunities, and it lists Career Pathways as a key element to those opportunities.
What's coming up:
April 15th: Leisure
May 20th: Pathways for Job-seeking Youth
June 17th: Trades/Transportation
July 15th: Get-A-Job Friday Job Fair
August 19th: Education/Human Services
September 16th: Pathways for Job-seeking Seniors
October 21st: Manufacturing
​November 18th: Pathways for Job-seeking Veterans
For more information on the Career Pathways, visit omj.ohio.gov/careerpathways/index.stm.
10am-noon, the third Friday of the month. Ohio Means Jobs Lucas County Facility, 1301 Monroe St.
