DAYTON, Ohio — State data shows more than 220,000 jobs are available in Ohio. Initiatives across the state are ramping up to fill these positions.
what you need to know
- The Be the Essential campaign hopes to fill 37,000 vacancies in the Dayton area
- It does this through a collaboration between Pivotal Media LLC, the Montgomery County Educational Service Center, and other employers
- Jasmin Clark, a senior at Wright State University, is taking part in the campaign
- She has worked at Montgomery County ESC and it is helping her gain experience as an educator
The Be the Essential campaign hopes to fill nearly 37,000 open positions in Dayton. And the campaign partners with places like the Montgomery County Educational Service Center to help job seekers gain the experience they need to launch their careers.
Jasmin Clark, a senior at Wright State University, had always dreamed of becoming a dental hygienist. But that all changed nearly two years into her college career, when she started having dental nightmares.
“I had come on the side as a para for a bit and thought I thought kids were cool,” said Clark, who then switched her major to youth and young adult education.
To gain experience, she came into contact with the Montgomery County Educational Service Center, which helps prospective and current educators find professional developmental support.
“You have this idea of what education is and what it’s going to be like, and then you come to a place like ESC and you realize there’s so much more than you ever imagined,” she said.
It was this connection that helped her get a scholarship from the ESC and gain hands-on experience in her field.
“I help create connections between the schools and the industry that exist here in Dayton,” she said.
All of this is made possible through a collaboration between Pivotal Media LLC and the ESC on the “Be the Essential” campaign. The campaign helps highlight the opportunities available at the Career Tech Center and Trade Schools and connects them with local schools and universities. Pivotal Media LLC founder and CEO Dan Edwards said that there are jobs with college degrees and jobs with no degrees.
“Not every family has the bank to go to college,” Edwards said. “We want to say that we’re going to do 8 months, 9 months of training at some of these career tech centers and we’re going to fill those 37,000 positions a lot quicker.”
Now with more experience under her belt, Clark said she’s more confident about entering the workforce after graduating in the spring.
“I’ve had so much support from the people here at ESC and that makes it so much more reassuring for me and now that I think I can do it,” she said.
To learn more about the campaign and available jobs, click here.
