Roni Williams takes equipment into the SuperJobs basement.

Dust was flying in the basement of the SuperJobs Center on April 4, as a young, industrious crew from Job Corps removed acoustic tiles in the basement's ceiling. They filled wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow with the tiles, which were trundled to the dumpster behind the building.

The basement at SuperJobs is being converted from storage space to usable office, testing and classroom space by Cincinnati State and Great Oaks as well as other required WIA partners.  Job Corps has a long history of training its youth in various skilled trades, including construction, so asking them to undertake the ceiling project was a way to save money and allow the youth hands-on experience, said Sherry Kelley Marshall.

Mike Williamson, who teaches facilities maintenance at Job Corps, supervised the project at SuperJobs.  His students have experience in pouring concrete, framing, finishing and hanging drywall, plumbing and running wire, among other things. One student that day was Calvin Black, 23, who enrolled with Job Corps in January. "It's an excellent program," he said. "The instructor is very hands-on. All you have to do is listen to him, and apply what he says to the situation." Black aims to be an electrician.

Several young women were among the crew that day, including Roni Williams, 22, who is studying carpentry. "I love doing carpentry; I love being hands-on," said Williams, who hopes to become an apprentice carpenter.  Faith Bridgett, 18, wants to be a real estate agent - and have the expertise to buy, renovate, and resell properties.

Wes Miller, building manager at SuperJobs, is grateful for the assistance and remarked that the project "gives these young people valuable experience that will help them as they move into a career."

YOUTH SPOTLIGHT: LIGHTHOUSE YOUNG MEN GIVE BACK TO COMMUNITY

The Job Corps crew wasn't the only young team working at SuperJobs this April. Youth from Lighthouse Youth Services' Civic Justice Corps replaced a weed patch out front with brick landscaping.

Mikel Irby, left, follows directions from stonemason Ohmar Gibson.

The Civic Justice Corps works with young men who have been adjudicated through the Juvenile Justice system. They perform community service as a way to heal the harm they have done to their communities, noted Kathryn Thompson of Lighthouse. Lighthouse has partnered with Lawn Life, a non-profit whose Executive Director is Tim Arnold, which teaches young men from disadvantaged backgrounds basic landscaping and carpentry skills, as well as essential work readiness behaviors.  "We provide a steppingstone into the workforce for these youth," says Arnold. The Civic Justice program requires each young man to work 32 volunteer hours for Lawn Life before being apprenticed (and paid) for six months.

The morning of April 2, Mikel Irby, 18, and Quaron White, 18, were working with stonemason Ohmar Gibson, who was teaching them how to prepare the bed, lay brick and cut stones to fit a particular space.  The brick design incorporated the angular exclamation point that is part of the SuperJobs Center's logo.  Brandon Wilson, 19, who had recently become an apprentice at Lawn Life, came down on his own to help out the team. Wilson said his community service with Lawn Life "kept me out of trouble. I enjoy the work. I love working outside."

"If you want to stay out of jail," he added, "this is the best way to go."

The SWORWIB is one of several organizations that partnered with Lighthouse Youth Services to win the Civic Justice Corps grant from the Department of Labor.

VETERANS SPOTLIGHT:  MAKING STRIDES IN EMPLOYMENT WITH SUPERJOBS 

SHORT TAKES  

Lamont Taylor, Employee Relations at Frisch's, hands out applications to young people at the city's Youth Job Fair.

MAYOR'S YOUTH JOB FAIR A SUCCESS: More than 2,600 young people flocked to Mayor Mallory's seventh annual Youth Job Fair, held March 29 at Duke Energy Convention Center.  Employers who set up booths included Meijer, Frisch's, Hilton Hotels, Helping Hands, Cincinnati Metro, and several  City of Cincinnati departments. Mallory, who is Lead Elected Official of the SWORWIB, welcomed the young people and employers at the start of the event. Meanwhile, the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati was selected through an RFP process to administer the city's summer youth employment program. The Urban League will hire 335 local youth from 14-18 years old to participate in the eight-week program that will place them at one of over 40 local businesses or non-profits. Application information is available here. The SWORWIB and Hamilton County Job and Family Services will implement a TANF (Temporary Aid to Needy Families) summer youth employment program as well. 

MAYOR UPBEAT IN STATE OF THE CITY: Calling for "Pride, Commitment, Investment, Partnership and Promotion," Mayor Mallory delivered his 7th State of the City address April 19 at the Aronoff Center for the Arts. About 350 were in the audience. The Mayor spoke about fast-changing Over-the-Rhine and its extensive rehabilitation; the new jobs that will be coming into the City of Cincinnati with the Nielsen Co.'s move downtown and the expansion of dunnhumby USA. He unveiled the design of the city's new streetcars by preferred vendor CAF USA. He ended his speech by touting the World Choir Games, coming to Cincinnati this summer, and the worldwide spotlight this will shine on our city.

CHAMBER PRESENTS POLICY AGENDA:  A group from the Cincinnati Regional USA Chamber, including Sherry Kelley Marshall, traveled to Columbus on March 28 to present the Chamber's 2012 Policy Agenda to key legislators and the governor. In education and workforce development, the Policy Agenda calls for greater investment in early childhood education; greater focus on accountability and outcomes in education; support of higher education grant funding; support of streamlining and coordination of employer services in the Tri-State region; support for federal reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act, and support of targeted expansion of federal employment Visa programs.

WIB EXECUTIVES MEET WITH  FREDERICK: Sherry Kelley Marshall, Area 13, and Jeff Weber, Area 12, toured the new Office of Workforce Transformation and met with Executive Director Rich Frederick on March 21, prior to the monthly meeting in Columbus of the Ohio Workforce Investment Board Collaborative.

EUROPEAN CHAMBER TO HOLD SKILLED WORKFORCE CONFERENCE: The