The Champaign County Commissioners and the Champaign County Business Advisory Council (BAC) have announced that Christina “Chris” Flowers has been hired as the Champaign County Business & School Liaison.
The Business & School Liaison role was created with the vision of the five county school superintendents and several businesses in the county. This newly created role will establish a county-wide initiative to develop and enhance the relationship between the five county schools, Ohio Hi-Point, and local businesses. Increasing collaboration between businesses and schools will improve student career exploration as well as support the need to fill in-demand jobs available in our county.
“We are pleased to be able to provide resources to address both the current and future workforce needs of our local employers as well as creating greater employment opportunities for Champaign County’s next generation,” shared the Champaign County Commissioners in a prepared statement.
Weidmann Vice President of Human Resources, Jill O’Neal, agreed.
“Recruiting and retention of our local workforce is vital. Businesses both large and small are in need of talent. I’m excited to see this initiative come to life as upcoming graduates have amazing opportunities to work and live in Champaign County,” O’Neal said.
Flowers will begin her employment on Aug. 1, 2022. She will quickly work to identify business/employment needs and link students to employment and career opportunities through activities such as job shadowing, internship programs, obtaining industry-recognized credentials and job fairs. She will also help school districts embed needed professional skills into their current curriculum.
When speaking about this new role, Chris shared: “I’m very excited for this opportunity to strengthen our community by building bridges between local businesses and our schools. For the past three years, I’ve had the privilege of being the Career Based Intervention teacher for Urbana City Schools. It has become clear to me how vitally important it is to build those bridges early so students are made aware of the opportunities right here in our community and as a way to retain them beyond graduation.”
The Business School Liaison position is funded by a three-year commitment from the Champaign County Commissioners and is supported by the Champaign County Business Advisory Council (BAC). Businesses are encouraged to contact Flowers via email at [email protected] or 937-484=1557 for introductions, questions, and input.
