ONTARIO — Students from more than a dozen area schools had the opportunity to interact with different workforce sectors Thursday at the Richland County Fairgrounds.

The Junior Achievement “Inspire to Hire” event brought in more than 50 local companies, most with interactive games or displays of their work.

JA invited representatives from armed forces, trades, security, food service, banking and healthcare. Local colleges also advertised their opportunities at the event.

The “Inspire to Hire” program began virtually in 2020 and hosted its first in-person fair last year. The event aims to engage high schoolers in local career options.

Junior Achievement of North Central Ohio serves 15 counties including Richland, Ashland, Crawford, Morrow and Knox counties.

What's the impact of our reporting?

The Community Development Section is dedicated to reporting on the intersection of the private sector and public funding, economic development efforts, and community engagement. We want to know what impact our reporting is having. Please complete this short survey.

"*" indicates required fields

Have you done any of the following as a result of a community development story published by Richland Source?*
Please select all that apply.
If you made a decision or took action, which of the following apply?*
Please select all that apply.
What is the primary emotion this story triggered?*

If so, please provide your name and contact email in the box below. We will only contact you about this project.

Community investment made this reporting happen. Independent, local news in Shelby and Northern Richland County is brought to you in part by the generous support of Phillips Tube Group, R.S. Hanline, ArcelorMittal, Lloyd Rebar, Hess Industries, and Shelby Printing.

Ball State journalism alumna. Passionate about sharing stories, making good coffee and finding new music. You can reach me at grace@richlandsource.com.