Chamber Amplified
Each week Doug Jenkins of the Findlay-Hancock County Chamber of Commerce talks to industry experts to help local businesses find new ideas, operate more efficiently, and adapt to ever-changing conditions.
Chamber Amplified
How Local Employers Can Build a Stronger Talent Pipeline
How do communities build a strong workforce for the future, and what role do local employers play in that process?
In this episode of Chamber Amplified from the Findlay-Hancock County Chamber of Commerce, Doug Jenkins sits down with Tricia Valasek of Raise the Bar Hancock County to talk about how workforce development is evolving and what employers should be doing to prepare for 2026 and beyond.
Tricia shares a behind-the-scenes look at what workforce development looked like in 2025, including career expos, mock interviews, middle-school career exploration, as well as hands-on employer engagement happening across Hancock County.
The episode also explores practical tools you can use to strengthen your talent pipeline, including:
- The Work Advance program for manufacturing careers
- YouScience, a skills- and aptitude-based career discovery platform
- Ways businesses can connect with students through job shadowing, internships, and career events
Whether you’re a business owner, HR professional, educator, or community leader, this conversation offers real-world insight into how workforce pipelines are built—and why showing up early matters.
Music and sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com
Hello everyone and welcome back to Chamber Amplified, brought to you by the Finlay Hancock County Chamber of Commerce. I'm your host, Doug Jenkins. If you're a business owner, manager, maybe you're an HR leader trying to figure out how to build a stronger workforce pipeline, this is a good episode for you heading into 2026. This week I'm joined once again by Trisha Velesque from Raise the Bar, Hancock County. Now, if you've been listening since we started the podcast, you know Trisha, she's become kind of a regular for us here. Raise the Bar has been at the center of some of the big impactful work happening in workforce development in Hancock County. And we're getting back into that again today. In this conversation, we're talking about what workforce development looked like in 2025 and what actually worked, not just the stuff you threw at the wall, but like what was impactful. That's what we're going to get into. Why early career exposure, even starting in middle school, matters now more than ever. It's a lot different than uh when I was in middle school, which was sometime in the early 90s. Let's not talk about it. Uh, we'll also talk about how employers can get involved without reinventing the wheel. You don't have time to do that, so we'll tell you about some practical ways you can do this. And you want to use programs like Work Advanced Use Science, TechCred, Handshake, they all play a part in connecting you with local talent. And we'll also touch on how businesses can sharpen their approach to recruiting and retention going into the new year. So if you've ever said, hey, we need better connections to students or we need to grow our own talent, you just don't know where to start, this episode can be a big help for you. And of course, before we start, if you enjoy the podcast, please leave us a review and a rating on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify. It really does help spread the word. Now let's get into it. I think is this your second or third time on the I don't know.
Tricia Valasek:I think third.
Doug Jenkins:I you're like a contributing editor to the podcast now.
Speaker 1:So it's I want to byline as always.
Doug Jenkins:Yes, you can add that to your resume, contributing editor to the uh chamber amplified podcast. I know you're excited. Uh so uh I wanted to one talk about how companies can really sharpen their tools when it comes to developing their their workforce pipelines in 2026. But I think before we get into that, let's just talk about what 2025 was for workforce development in Hancock County. You and Ashley have been very busy with all sorts of different events and programs. Uh, it's been great to watch. What have been some of the highlights for the year?
Speaker 1:Yeah, we've done a lot of events, especially when it comes to students in our K-12 school systems. And, you know, starting, we've done about six of our career expos for high school students, and 30 kids every single time get to come to different workplaces and interact with the employees and learn a little bit about what they do. We had our mock interview day where 500 high school juniors got to be interviewed with over 100 of our community's best um representatives from the professional world. And then we had almost 700 of our eighth graders here in October get to interact with over 35 different employers to begin exploring careers. We've been busy with all of our students, we're expanding and trying to do a little bit more and getting our college students around the region to understand the great things we have happening here in Ancock County. And then we've just kind of been tightening up the work advance program that's been going on for the past three years.
Doug Jenkins:Tell us a little bit more about the Work Advance program because that's one I know you guys have been working on, but maybe not the one that gets all the publicity.
Speaker 1:It's a program that has been done around the state of Ohio here, raise the bar. We are fortunate to be able to offer it to Hancock County residents. It is a two-week training where they learn um how to, you know, really be skilled in the workplace for manufacturing jobs. At the end of it, they were able to sit for a certification exam, be a certified manufacturing associate, would have some interviews and would be set up for some opportunities with potential manufacturers in our community. So over the last couple of years, we've had almost 200 participants, and we've graduated close to 80% of them. And then the um several of them have gone on to have great long-term jobs in our community.
Doug Jenkins:That is awesome to hear. And just the numbers that you're putting out there, it's so much exposure to different elements of workplaces in and around Hancock County. Um, Ashley had posted something on LinkedIn, I think it might have been today, as we're recording this, just about how a lot of times kids have kind of decided what their career is going to be by the time they get into high school, which is one way to do it. But I her point was that this early exposure is really important because they very well could make their decision, yeah, I want to work there by the time they enter a high school, which is crazy to think about. But it also talks, it also speaks to why it's so important to have all of these touch points from area employers with kids in our area school districts so early so that you can help show them that there's a path here.
Speaker 1:It is unreal. I think, you know, from the generation that we are from, it was you don't really have any of these conversations, maybe ever. And maybe you get into college and then you have an academic advisor and they just basically tell you about classes and nothing about finding jobs. And what we're seeing as we go forward is there's this push to have kids have an opportunity to learn about careers and their and start planning out their future well into the middle school age. We at Raise the Bar are redoing our entire website so that it becomes a much more interactive space so that kids as young as middle schoolers can learn about how to go through the process of exploring careers all the way through high school and getting to know about careers and meeting with employers, being in workplaces, trying some things out, saying, not for me. Um, but you know, these relationships that we rely on is with the employers. We need people who are willing to constantly interact with these kids. I think it's as much about who the kids know as who knows them. And when you build these long-term relationships, it's a safe feeling for these uh students to go into the workplaces or feel comfortable saying, okay, I'm gonna go get my degree, or I'm gonna go get this training, and then I'm gonna come work for you. And you know, kids want the opportunity out of a lot of our career days. We've had kiddos step up, and lo and behold, they have a new internship or they've got a part-time job offer. So it we need this mutual connection between both parties.
Doug Jenkins:That is probably the best feeling, I would imagine, too, because a lot of times, look, you've got teenagers, I have teenagers, we've all dealt with teenagers. You just sometimes you just don't know if you're making that impact or if you're you're reaching them. And so when you hear, like, oh yeah, they went to this thing and they decided to do an internship there, or they they took a part-time job there, that's just about the best feeling in the world.
Speaker 1:It is, and I also love the light bulb moment where if you'll ask a student, you know, do you like want to do this forever? And they're like, No. And you're like, perfect, mark that down and don't spend your time and energy doing something that's not gonna make you happy. And so we love the light bulbs of this is exactly what I've been thinking of, and I just didn't know we had it here, versus, no, I can't do that forever.
Doug Jenkins:Yeah, and but that's an equally important discovery to make. The younger you are, that way you're not into a career with it before you realize, oh, I didn't want to be here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, save money. Um, there's so much opportunity that to make decisions or at least feel guided in how you're making decisions today. And that's what I love about all that we're doing with the schools and giving, you know, teachers are becoming much more informed about the companies that exist in Hancock County. We have students who are open to exploring and learning a little bit more. They're this generation is very wise and savvy, and they don't want to spend money on things that they don't think is gonna have that return on their investment. And so if they can see the path and they see how to get there with the least resistance or with the least amount of their money, that's the path that they're gonna take. And and to have that laid out in front of them from a very young age is critical.
Doug Jenkins:So, as you mentioned, it's really important for area companies to have touch points with these kids uh when they're getting into middle school while they're in high school. And there are a variety of ways that they can do that. Certainly they can work through Raise the Bar, and you're happy to connect them with all of the different programming that you that you're doing. Uh, but let's talk a little bit about UScience as well, which is something that uh we've worked with you uh as well as uh the U Science program itself to make it available to Hancock County employers so they just have a real easy touch point where people can find them. Uh, tell us a little bit about the U Science program. Let's get people familiar with it if they haven't heard us. We've been trying to beat people over the head with it, but let's do it again, one more time.
Speaker 1:Let's do it. This is gonna be that software that you wished you had that would say, this is how my brain is wired, and this is why I think and and where my strengths really are. And so UScience is brain games. Kids get into the system, they all have their own license. What's awesome is every single school district in Hancock County, the city schools, our seventh, eighth, and ninth graders are using this platform now. They get in, they do the brain games. How much can I memorize? How fast am I with you know recalling numbers? What's my vocabulary like? Can I envision like a punched hole? And if I flip it over, where's that punch hole gonna be? We're all different, and that's what's awesome about having us be humans. And this just gives kids a way to explain why they operate information where their strengths are, and then how that connects to jobs that would be a good fit for them. So youth science is the aptitude, the brain game side, and then it's also your career interests. It's blending those two results together, and it pops up for individual students here. This is the greatest fit careers for you. And I mean, there's hundreds of jobs in the system, it's connected up with the U.S. Department of Labor, so there's quick access to the tasks, the skills, the education needed, how to look for colleges that might offer those degrees. Everything is right there at their fingertips. Not only are Hancock County kids using this, it's being used across the state of Ohio. We have to remember that our talent pipeline is not just gonna stay in our geographic boundaries. We are pulling kids from all over, and hopefully, college students go to colleges nearby and state too. So when these students get their results, they also have immediate access to the companies who have put their profiles in the system to say, hey, we're an employer that would offer your career result area. Unless an employer goes in and does their own free uh profile, kids won't find them. But not only do we have hundreds of kids using in Hancock County within the geographic region, I would imagine thousands, quite honestly, of students, and they can change the geographic range to so even if someone in Columbus is using it, those kids would be able to see as long as they have the boundary set up far enough that our Hancock County employers would show up. So it's free and it's quick. Add your logo, add your address, add some contact information, website, URL, whatever, um, and just show up. You know, just show up in the system, and then kids can go with it from there.
Doug Jenkins:And also in there, you can put in like if you're interested in having someone come job shadow or if you're offering internships, things like that. So you can kind of set the level of uh you know how involved you want to be in it. But like you said, it's quick. I know when we first set it up as the chamber, I set up the the chamber of commerce profile, and I think I was done in five, maybe ten minutes max. So for 10 minutes worth of investment, I think it's well worth the exposure you can possibly gain.
Speaker 1:Yes. And, you know, again, it's not just local. I mean, kids from all over can see this information. Their teachers are gonna start seeing the information because they're supposed to sit down and help the kids through their results. And, you know, we're starting to see it being, you know, pushed out at 4-H levels. I know that the County Extension Office uses it with 4-H um youth. So it's not just in our schools, it's starting to be a platform used much more widely and it works for adults. I took it, it was great because it really hit on the careers that I've been in and where my I know my strengths are, it hit all of those again. So if anybody wants to just take it themselves and be like, what am I? Who am I? Go ahead and do it. Because it's just, I think, $50, but your license tastes good for almost 10 years.
Doug Jenkins:I know uh I went through it when we first uh got involved with the program. I forget what it tossed back out at me. Uh, there was a lot of process-oriented jobs because I like a good process and I like the rework process. It was it was really interesting to see that. But uh to that, uh, the the aptitude point of it, I I think where we've maybe gone astray in the past was it was like, well, what are you interested in? What do you like? Sometimes you get into something that you like and you find out that you don't like doing that as a job where it's not exactly what you thought it was going to be. Interests change, aptitudes don't. You're kind of good at the things that you're good at. And that's why I think this is an impressive program because that's what it's focused on. What are you good at? Like, what are you wired to do? Let's point you in a career direction that matches with that.
Speaker 1:Your aptitude tends to stay the same. You can usually strengthen your strengths over time because it's just again how your brain is wired to think and process information. Your interests will always change as you go through different stages of life, as you interact with other people, as you have different careers, you learn things. So your interests always, always change, and we try to get people to do interest assessments annually. The aptitude it will likely stay the same. Will you see growth in some areas? Of course. Um, but when you're talking about it, it's this perfect intersection where if you imagine a Venn diagram, there's probably four or five different circles coming together. Your personality matters, your aptitude matters, the interests matter, your values matter, your work style, your learning style. All of those actual pieces fit together, and then in the middle, there is a career journey, not just one job, but a career, a lifetime of opportunities that fit well. Passions have to go with interests, but sometimes you can't always, you know, do everything like you're passionate about in your job, but you find other outlets to do it. Just being so self-aware of who you are goes a long way to finding the right place to work so there's not turnover or you don't feel like you can't grow in the workplace. There's so much benefits to it for the recruitment and retention of people in our in our talent pipeline.
Doug Jenkins:So we will put the link for businesses to sign up for a you science profile in the show notes for this podcast. So make sure to do that if you're listening. Uh, but let's talk about the future for Raise the Bar in 2026 and getting businesses to continue to have those touch points with the community and let them know they're there, let them know what jobs are available and kind of help develop the workforce moving forward. What are the things you're looking forward to as we approach the new year?
Speaker 1:Always have career events. If you are a company that just wants some free interaction with students and are willing to have us come to your location, let us know. We are always planning those events. We have our mock interview day coming up in the first part of May, where we again will need over a hundred different representatives, all businesses and industries, so we can pair our juniors up with them. A lot of our county schools are doing the amazing shake, the big shake as it's called in some different districts. If you're interested in helping uh kids practice their soft skills like communication, eye contact, handshake, talking about themselves, that's something that people can sign up for. Um, you know, and we're just really looking to help understand and how to communicate what a business does or how you're willing to work with individuals. I know sometimes you can't always bring people into workplaces. There's PIPA, there's insurance, there's liability, there's a lot of reasons, but we can still communicate messages. So we're always looking to learn more from different companies. I love to learn, that's probably one of my you know aptitude things out there, but the more we know, the more we grow. Uh, I think that was like a wonderful NBC little commercial thing there. But um it's true. And so if we all can just be in this stage of sharing information and being willing to learn and grow from each other, 2026 is gonna be amazing. You know, and we're also looking to just make sure that once again, college students uh what a great recruiter for our employers than having amazing higher ed institutions like we have throughout Northwest Ohio. We want to expand those relationships. You know, if then employer two, you've got the talent pipeline coming from K-12. Don't forget your college kiddos. Um, handshake. Handshake is the platform that all of the career offices are using to kind of connect kids with internships. So if you want to join UScience at the same time, go in and try to create your profile and handshake. Um and then lastly, you know, it's just continuing to put the word out there that tech cred is still being done by the state of Ohio. How many more rounds they will offer? I think that will be, you know, it'll go on for quite some time now. But we had an outstanding showing in the last round from Hancock County employers. You don't have to be a certain size, you just have to have employees. Um, so making sure that employee, um, you could be a company of two, raise the bar, we applied, we have some money for it. Take advantage of that to get your talent pipeline going and trained in a new way because I know technology is just changing pace so fast, and AI is everywhere. Um, and if you feel like you as a company need to get people upskilled a little bit more, then I would take advantage of tech cred every round.
Doug Jenkins:Yeah, and I know that there are AI trainings in that uh tech cred. So definitely well worth looking at that. I think we've had you on before to talk about the tech cred program. I'll link back to that episode in the show notes as well. Uh, and we'll get the link from uh for handshake for you as well. So, employers, this episode is a one-stop shop for all the information you need to develop your towel pipeline in 2026. So you're welcome, Finland Hancock County. Uh right, Trisha. Uh, we really appreciate all the work that uh you and Ashley are doing with RaistheBar. If people want to learn more about everything that you're up to, uh maybe they want to get involved in some way, shape, or form. What's the best way to get in touch with you?
Speaker 1:You can always check out our website, raisethebarhancock.org, or just shoot us an email. I'll give the easiest one so you don't remember how to spell my last name. It's raisethebarhancock at gmail.com. Super simple.
Doug Jenkins:There you go. Everybody mispronounces your last name anyway. To be fair, it's it is mispronounceable.
Speaker 1:Very much so. I, you know, I it's not my lineage. It's, you know, it's Eric's fault.
Doug Jenkins:Oh blame, Eric. Uh Trisha, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast.
Speaker 1:Yes. Thanks, Doug.
Doug Jenkins:And that will wrap up another week of Chamber Amplified. Big thanks again to Trisha Velesque and the Raise the Bar team for the work that they're doing to connect students, educators, and employers all across Hancock County. The takeaway is pretty clear. Workforce development isn't really a single one-time fix. It's built through consistent touch points, early exposure, and strong relationships to the local business communities and the local education communities. So if you're an employer listening to this, there are multiple ways to get involved. One, just participate in a career expo or mock interviews. I can get you in touch with Trisha to make that happen. Create your free UScience employer profile so that students can find you. The link for that in the show notes here. Explore tech cred funding to upskill your current workforce. You can do that and it's not going to cost you anything. Or connect with college talent through handshake. Again, the link to that in the show notes. Or just reach out to Raise the Bar and start the conversation. Again, I can connect you with Trisha and Ashley pretty easily if you would like to start that conversation. We'll have links to all the resources in the show notes. Like I said, as always, Chamber Amplified is a free resource made possible by members of the Findlay Hancock County Chamber of Commerce. Their investment supports business advocacy, workforce initiatives, leadership development, and conversations like this one that help our local economy grow stronger. If you have an idea for a future episode or a topic that you'd like us to cover, feel free to reach out anytime. D Jenkins at Finley Hancock Chamber.com is the best way to get in touch with me. Thanks again for listening, and we'll catch you next time on Chamber Amplified.
