Workforce coordinator outlines plans to expand career pathways, credentialing and employer partnerships

Joel Denny, the district’s workforce development coordinator, told the Fairfield Union Local School District board that his inaugural year focused on aligning local course offerings with state career-pathway definitions, expanding employer ties and creating more credentialing opportunities for students.

Denny said the district currently counts agriculture and business as formal career pathways and that his review identified opportunities to develop additional pathways, notably media arts and health sciences, “possibly in the next two to three years,” pending funding and teacher licensure. He recommended exploring partnerships with regional career centers to secure CTE licensure for teachers and to support credential issuance.

On credentials, Denny said the district hopes to assemble a set of broadly applicable credential points so students can accumulate credit toward alternative graduation pathways. He listed several low-barrier or free credentials under consideration — including CPR training and the Lead for Change credential — and said OSHA-10 safety certification is being explored but would require grant funding to scale in freshman classes.

Denny described a concerted effort to build employer pathways he calls “Falcon franchises,” a voluntary partnership letter for local businesses to recruit and train students. He said 17 businesses formally signed partnership letters and that more than 30 businesses are actively engaged, providing internships, job openings and guest speakers. "We started creating job boards and pushing positions out to juniors and seniors," he said.

The coordinator highlighted hands-on placements this year: 11 students participated at the Fairfield County Workforce Center in trade-skill programs; several students completed phlebotomy-related training and clinical placements through New Lexington’s program; and one student secured a summer welding position and will move into a work-release internship next school year.

Denny also described growing middle-school exposure to careers: more than 20 guest speakers visited career-exploration classes and eighth-graders toured local manufacturing sites, which he said helped students see local career options they had not known existed.

Board members praised the outreach and emphasized practical barriers Denny is addressing, such as transportation, and soft-skill training for students (punctuality, communication, workplace demeanor). Trustee comments noted the potential academic and social benefits of exposing students earlier to career options and encouraged continued employer engagement.

Next steps Denny outlined include pursuing grant funding for credential costs, partnering with regional career centers to secure teacher CTE licensure, creating tracking systems for credentials (portfolio tools and Ohio Means Jobs tracking) and supervising work-based learning and early-release placements in the coming school year. He invited board feedback and said he expects to take a stronger supervisory role for work-based learning programs next year.