CLEVELAND — “I'm very excited because this is a new step,” said recent high school graduate Frederick Grant.
With a stroke of the pen, Frederick Grant has officially started his career at PNC Bank after recently graduating high school. It's all thanks to the PartnerUp Program, run by PNC, that's bringing students and employers together - creating opportunities.
“I always looked at my school for opportunities that will offer me bigger opportunities,” said Grant. “I wanted to put effort into something that would give me a long-term career.”
Nine graduates took part in signing day, jumping into the workforce with some of our region's top companies. A total of 50 PartnerUp offers are expected to be made.
“These are career-level roles that I don't think folks in high school are like, ‘Oh yeah, I could do that.’ And we're letting them know that, 'Yeah, you can do that, and we want you to do the things we want you here,'” said Brianna McMeekin, VP and Development Program Manager, PNC PartnerUp Program.
The PartnerUp Program began in Pittsburgh before expanding to Cleveland. They recruit in local high school classrooms, reaching students looking for an alternative to college.
“We go over everything from personal branding to I need to write this resume so I can apply to the job and do interview, prep and practice,” said McMeekin.
“You don't have to stick with a job that you have in high school as a teen when you can get an awesome career path that opens the doors to just so many more opportunities,” said the Community, College and Career Coordinator at John Marshall High School Danielle Caldwell.
Currently, there are 10 employee partners in all, including Giant Eagle, Rockwell Automation, Lincoln Electric, the Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth and University Hospitals. Bill Swan from Swagelok says PartnerUp closes a gap to connect with career-bound graduates.
“They know the school districts, they know the students, they have the relationships, there's as much talent here as there is anywhere else in northeast Ohio, but maybe not as much opportunity,” said Swagelok Talent Pipeline Program Specialist Bill Swan.
Each full-time job comes with a living wage and benefits. PartnerUp is with its student every step of the way through their senior year.
“It was actually great because, you know, we had adults come in and just help us push us forward to even get the job,” said Jayquan Grayson. “So, it was just great because we were a step ahead.”
Now a teller at PNC Bank, Jayquan is happy to have a strong start to his career, supporting himself and his family. This new approach at recruiting is leading to success for those signing job offers, and the companies supporting them.
“Recognizing that in some ways what we've always done isn't working anymore, that this generation of talent is different,” commented McMeekin. “They're bringing different skills and we need to approach them differently and recruit them differently.”
“Just keep moving forward. Just stay motivated and don't let anything knock me off my grind,” said Grayson.
“If you have passion in yourself and you're just like you driven to do the best and you're going to always do good,” said Grant.
Again, these are true full-time jobs the graduates are excepting. They even went through the interview process, and some came away with multiple offers. Congratulations to all those who are starting their careers.
