Schools and community leaders in Knox County are working together to prepare students for future careers, according to an April 24 announcement. The effort is part of a broader push by the State of Ohio, which renamed its education department the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce in 2023 to highlight workforce opportunities for students.
This initiative is important for Knox County, where there are currently 69 manufacturing companies as well as large healthcare employers. Julia Suggs, Vice President of the Area Developmental Foundation, said that due to expected growth and retiring employees, more than 3,000 new workers will be needed in manufacturing and over 2,500 in healthcare by 2032. "Our highest needs are actually in jobs that do not require furthering education after high school," she said.
Suggs explained that most manufacturing positions needed are production associates or skilled trades such as welding. In healthcare, only one out of the top five most-needed positions requires a four-year degree; others need no certification or just a two-year degree. The Knox County Business Advisory Council—led by Suggs—connects businesses with schools so both can benefit from updates on workforce needs across construction, manufacturing, and healthcare industries.
To help teachers guide students toward these careers, Suggs met recently with high school and middle school teachers at the invitation of Middle School Principal Alex McIntire. "The Knox County Business Advisory Council has outlined what they need from employees," McIntire said. "And it’s essential that we prepare our students to meet those expectations so our community can continue to thrive." Training focused on soft skills like social awareness and accountability; teachers learned strategies they can use across all subjects without taking time away from their curriculum.
Intervention Specialist Jennifer Purdy plans to implement time-sense challenges with her juniors and seniors after attending the training. "All students need to develop better intuitive time management and pacing skills," she said.
Career Navigator Sean McCutcheon stressed faithful attendance as the most important employability trait for local employers: "If I had to pick one attribute that our employers care about the most," he said, "it is without question attendance." He also noted positive changes among local seniors: "The number of seniors who don’t know what they want to do [when they graduate] is drastically shrinking...they know why they want to do it; they know how they're going to do it."
