Customized Training Key to Washington County Career Center’s Success

Customized training has been key to the overall success of the Washington County Career Center, Adult Technical Training, an Ohio Technical Center located in Marietta.

“It’s as simple as talking to the employers and listening for their needs and providing them with the training that is customized to meet those needs,” said John Moore, the career center’s industrial programs coordinator.

In the past year, the industrial programs have provided more than 30 customized trainings to businesses. The training can last for months or be as short as one day. The school offers flexibility, with businesses choosing to have training completed at their site or at the school. The school operates two 42-foot industrial training trailers. All training equipment at the school is built to be mobile, allowing each piece to be used in a lab or moved to a job site.

“We are listening to what the employer is asking for and making the training about them and what works for them,” Moore said. “The instructor that will be teaching the customized training is brought in very early in the process to develop the training and they are there with the employer every step of the way.”

Another critical component to the success of customized training is having highly skilled and knowledgeable instructors. The school has built a reputation statewide for the quality of its training. “Our instructors come to us from a variety of sources, but most have been referred from another instructor,” Moore said.

Each customized training instructor brings with him/her an extensive background in his/her area of instruction. All of the instructors have worked in the area in which they specialize and can provide the employer with an in-depth understanding of the employer’s training needs.

One customized training client is Kraton Polymers, located in Belpre, Ohio. The company has utilized the school for the past 12 years for new-hire training.

“The school listens to our needs, and with the addition of the outdoor industrial training facility, gives our new hires a realistic training that closely emulates chemical plant work,” said Steve Hand, human resources business partner at Kraton.

Hand also serves on the industrial program advisory board for the school. He said he believes the advisory board is another key to the school’s success.

“When we, the local manufacturers, make suggestions, the school listens and modifies the curriculum. At the end of the day, we are all looking for well-trained applicants, so the better we make the training, the better prepared the students will be when entering the workforce,” he said.

In the past two years, the school also began offering customized training to area healthcare providers. To date, the school has completed customized training for all three of the major healthcare systems located in the Mid-Ohio Valley, as well as more than a dozen other providers.

Erica Chidester, medical programs manager for adult technical training, began the process of building customized training in 2020 with Memorial Health Systems.

“Erica was quick to turn around an example of the curriculum for customized medical assistant training,” said Amy Hockenbrocht, director of educational services with MHS. “She also identified grant funding options that would allow for training while decreasing the cost to the organization. This training allowed us to invest in our current staff and gives them the opportunity to grow from one level to the next.”

Working with the hospital has allowed the school to understand the needs of the health system and ensure it is better able to serve the community. This training provides the hospital with an extra bonus for new hires and existing employees. Jenna Carr, site director with Coplin Health Systems, began working with Chidester in 2021 and is currently utilizing the school for medical assistant training.

“The collaboration with the school has an impact on our community and allows us to better serve our customers,” Carr said. “Erica offers not only the training we need but also provides us with an alternative schedule for our employees that work full time. This means class being offered in the evening or on the weekends. The healthcare industry needs skilled employees, and the school is working hand-in-hand with us to train quality people to become valued employees.”