Overview

NextWork is a partnership among Northeast Ohio manufacturing businesses and K-12 educators. Beginning in grade 4 students engage in career fairs, site visits to various businesses, hear from speakers about their life and career path, participate in job shadowing experiences, and engage in internship opportunities. Manufacturing is 40% of Lake County’s workforce, supporting over 33,000 jobs and it is estimated that 25% (or over 8,000 jobs) of the workforce will be retiring in the next 10 years. In Geauga County, 193 manufacturers are facing a similar workforce shortfall as in Lake County. NextWork has been created to address the workforce needs and serve as a catalyst to economic prosperity in Lake and Geauga Counties and the entire region. At its core NEXTWORK is a robust software portal developed locally by Knowtion Inc. that serves to manage the flow of information for businesses and schools to schedule events, book speakers, post shadowing, internship and career opportunities, share information with members and subscribers, and otherwise engage a potential workforce.