Clinton County Workforce Collaborative Hosts 4th Annual Career Exploration Fair
- Real Change Wilmington
- a few seconds ago
- 2 min read
On October 22, 2025, the Clinton County Workforce Collaborative (CCWC) hosted its 4th Annual Clinton County Career Exploration Fair for local high school students to showcase the careers available to them in Clinton County.
The fair featured 31 employers and hosted over 500 students from all four county schools, in addition to the Wilmington Christian Academy. According to Ruth Brindle, Workforce & Data Specialist with the Clinton County Port Authority and representative on the CCWC, the event is aimed at sophomores because that is when students decide whether they would like to attend Laural Oaks Career Campus or stay at their “home school.” Blanchester High School brought 109 students. Clinton Massie brought 50 students. East Clinton High School brought 88 students. Wilmington Christian Academy brought 42 students. Wilmington High School brought 161 sophomores and 54 seniors.
Among the 31 employers at the event were companies representing careers in manufacturing, construction, aviation, healthcare, childcare and education, logistics and trucking, public safety and service, and banking and insurance. Each category highlighted local employers such as ATSG, Wilmington Savings Bank, Peoples Bank, Wilmington College, Ohio Living Cape May, Clinton Regional Hospital, Timbertech, R&L Carriers, the City of Wilmington, and more.
According to Brindle, the CCWC brainstormed the event in 2021, inspired by similar events. They held their first career exploration fair in 2022 with the help of Junior Achievement, a national organization known for hosting career fairs. Brindle stated, “This is really aimed at helping students think about what is it that they think they want to do… So, having the breadth of different kinds of employers is also about helping students see, not just within one employer or within one industry, what all of the different options are, but what are all of the options just within Clinton County.”
The Clinton County Workforce Collaborative is a group of individuals who have “any touch point onto workforce development” in Clinton County, according to Brindle. The workforce collaborative has a steering committee of four individuals from the four formal organizations that “brought the whole group together.” On the steering committee are: Curt Bradshaw, Superintendent of the Southern Ohio Educational Service Center; Ruth Brindle, Workforce & Data Specialist with the Clinton County Port Authority; Amanda Haggerty, Senior Case Manager for OhioMeansJobs Clinton County; and Dessie Rogers, Executive Director of the Wilmington-Clinton County Chamber of Commerce. The CCWC also employs Conner Wyatt for the Workforce Development Program under the Southern Ohio Educational Service Center.
To learn more about the Clinton County Workforce Collaborative, visit chooseclintoncountyoh.org/clinton-county-workforce-collaborative.