OLMSTED FALLS, Ohio — From hanging out the help wanted signs to offering incentives, area businesses are doing what they can to attract the next generation of talent. Now, one school is getting involved to help bridge the widening gap.
Several weeks ago, Olmsted Falls High School transition coordinator Christen Brabenec unveiled an old-fashioned job board for her students after receiving an increase in employers calling and asking for help.
“With COVID and everything turning to technology, people are feeling inundated with emails,” Brabenec explained the reasoning behind the board. “Maybe just good old-fashioned pen and paper, a board that’s cute gets people’s attention as well.”
We have 32 local job postings looking for student workers. Students swing by 223 if you are seeking a job opportunity. pic.twitter.com/6nZJYXOsMB
— Leo Spagnola (@OFHSLeoSpagnola) September 22, 2021
The board features some familiar fast-food restaurants, area staples, and other companies students may not recognize.
Among those businesses featured on the job board is Evergreen Packaging in Olmsted Falls.
HR Manager Jim Gillespie told News 5 the business posted a “We’re hiring” sign outside its Mapleway Drive offices more than a year ago, but still struggles to find new applicants.
The plant currently employs 125 people, specializing in manufacturing dairy products such as milk cartons.
“I can tell you it’s a lot more difficult,” he said. “Used to have a lot of people applying without being advertised or requesting it. Now we’re seeking people. We have a variety of different advertising means. If we could, we’d hire 25 people tomorrow.”
To learn more about the current openings at Evergreen Packaging, click here.
Looking at the job market outside Olmsted Falls, Ohio Means Jobs currently lists more than 243,000 available jobs, including 134,000 jobs that pay more than $50,000 a year, as well as dozens of hiring events and workshops.
Back in May, Ohio Means Jobs only listed 180,000 available jobs, including 94,000 which pay more than $50,000 a year.
“The job market has changed,” Brabenec added. “You don’t need to go to college to go straight into finding your career. You can build your way up from the bottom and I do think those opportunities are greater today than maybe they were five years ago.”
