MANSFIELD — Joseph Jakubowski believes character is the key to a successful career.
“Our foundational belief is that you can’t keep a job unless you have the right character,” Jakubowski said.
Jakubowski is the director at the RIDGE Project, based in McClure, Ohio. The RIDGE Project is a Christian, non-profit organization dedicated to empowering generational responsibility in individuals and improving the lives of families throughout Ohio.
The RIDGE Project is using a $1.5 million grant it was awarded from the Department of Labor (DOL) in summer 2016 to build a potential workforce, including one in Mansfield.
Ridge’s DOL Career Pathways Project got off the ground in January and has enrolled 31 people from three local work release centers: Volunteers of America (VOA), Richland County Community Alternative Center and the Exit Program. To qualify for the Ridge Project’s program, people must be connected through one of those organizations.
Participants begin with a 24-hour program that takes place in two-hour increments per day spread over the course of six weeks. That process features Tyro Works, a professional workforce development program.
“We get to inspire and motivate people,” said Ron Tijerna, president and CEO of Tyro Works, “and help them understand why they get up every morning.”
Tijerna’s program, which can be purchased by employers for groups of five or more employees, sets out to eliminate an “entitlement mentality” in the workforce and to instead create a dedicated workforce that will show up on time and do everything to support the company.
He achieves this by teaching the employees the benefits to “providing their best” to their employers, such as an increased likelihood of keeping their job in the case of downsizing.
“Your employer is your customer … not the enemy … not the man,” Tijerna said.
Those who successfully complete the first stage can then be enrolled in a certification program, whether it be for truck driving, welding, forklift operating or customer service trainings. The lengths of these programs vary.
“The idea is that they have a certification, which makes them valuable to an employer,” Jakubowski said. “And the employer will know the employee is serious about getting a job. To stay with the program for about 12 weeks, that’s saying a lot.”
He said he is looking for employers who will consider hiring people with criminal records. Now they have about three in manufacturing and in truck driving.
“They’ve made some mistakes in the past. They served their time, and they are looking for an opportunity,” he said. “And some of these guys can be your greatest asset because they are motivated and ready to work.”
The program’s goal is to enroll 170 people over the course of two years.
