Educational leaders from Clinton County gathered with business and industry leaders Tuesday for a luncheon at Arborwood to discuss the newly established Engage Clinton County College and Career Readiness Program.
“This is a joint effort between all the county schools to try and develop a group of students that once they graduate can go right into the workforce and be effective,” said Clinton Central High School Principal Al Remaly, who was the main speaker for the educational leaders. “This is a new program and it’s something new to our students. I just think them getting a good understanding of the program and knowing where it can get them in the future will be our biggest challenge.”
The purpose of the program is asking for business and industry partners that will honor the Governor’s Work Ethic Certificate (WEC) earned by graduates. This certificate includes five subjective measures: persistence, respectfulness, initiative, dependability and efficiency.
Each student awarded the WEC will also be held to the following requirements:
- Complete 6 hours of community service.
- Have a GPA of 2.0 or higher.
- Meet all graduation requirements.
- Have a school attendance rates of 98%.
- Have one or fewer discipline referrals for the year.
“We can tell them get this certificate and you will have a leg up on everybody else that doesn’t have it,” said Remaly.
Remaly was asked if he thinks more and more students will elect to go the workforce rather than go on to college.
“I think there’s a certain group of kids who know they’re going to college,” said Remaly. “There’s also kind of that middle group that’s not sure how they’re going to pay for college and they want to go to work. .Then, there’s a group that just wants to go to work. We try and meet the needs of all three groups.”
Remaly added this is going to be a tough certificate to earn and the goal is to have 10 students per school get the WEC.
Approximately 35 to 40 individuals attended the luncheon including a handful of individuals from the business and industry sectors. Those individuals from the business and industry world were asked to join the program by entering into a business partnership agreement that says they will agree to give students who achieve a WEC a guaranteed job interview.
Clinton County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Shan Sheridan, who is a staunch supporter of this initiative, told the assembled business and industry leaders, “This is exactly what you’ve been asking for.”