Northwest State & Exploring™ Collaborate on Career Education

The Black Swamp Area Council’s Exploring Division is collaborating with Northwest State Community College and other community partners to help engage teens with a focus on life and career skills. Matt Kibler of Exploring™ (L) is shown with Todd Hernandez, NSCC Executive Vice President.

The Black Swamp Area Council’s Exploring Division is excited to announce a great collaboration that includes Northwest State Community College, Impact 419, Ohio Means Jobs, and the CCMEP Young Adult Program. 

This new program is a continued effort to engage students with hands-on experiences, provide mentors, network with potential employers, and equip youth with life and career skills needed to become productive in the career field they chose. Teens in the Impact 419 program will investigate careers considered In Demand by Ohio Means Jobs during monthly meetings, beginning in early September. During the meetings, students will get hands-on experience in a different career field in the labs at Northwest State, and will then return to their home county to further investigate the career at a local business that corresponds with that month’s career. This new program allows for students to learn about numerous careers, understand the opportunities that are available to them locally, and provides students with the knowledge of what skills and certifications are needed to be successful in their career. 

“Northwest State is thrilled to participate in this collaboration.  It is part of a larger initiative to engage our youth in experiential learning opportunities to help them determine their pathway to a career,” noted Todd Hernandez, Executive Vice President for Northwest State.    

Impact 419 is a workforce initiative that serves young adults in Auglaize, Defiance, Henry, Paulding, Williams, and Wood Counties. The initiative provides supportive career coaching, work experiences, and the opportunity to find your career pathway. The Exploring™ program covers thirteen counties in Northwest Ohio, enabling students to discover their future through immersive, hands-on career experiences. The Exploring™ program serves students ages 14-20, who have completed the 8th grade, and seeks to shape the workforce of tomorrow by engaging and mentoring today’s youth. 

To learn more about the Impact 419, contact Andrea Morrow, training coordinator with Northwest State, at amorrow1@NorthwestState.edu or 419.771.3121. To find out more about Exploring™, contact Matt Kibler, Exploring Executive, at matt.kibler@scouting.org or 567.245.1259.