Partnership Creates New Opportunities for High School Students, Adult Learners, and Regional Employers
RIO GRANDE, OHIO – October 26, 2026 – The award-winning Buckeye Hills Career Center (BHCC) is proud to announce a new partnership with Shawnee State University (SSU) through ShawneeWORKS, an innovative regional initiative designed to strengthen workforce development, expand educational opportunities, and create seamless career pathways for high school students, adult learners, and working professionals throughout Southern Ohio.
Buckeye Hills Career Center joins four other leading career and technical education centers in south-central Ohio as inaugural partners in this initiative. Together, these institutions are working to eliminate traditional barriers between secondary career-technical education, adult education, higher education, and the workforce, ensuring individuals have greater access to the education, credentials, and career opportunities needed to succeed.
The ShawneeWORKS initiative will focus on expanding dual credit and College Credit Plus opportunities, establishing more direct pathways into the workforce for career center graduates, and streamlining admissions into two-year and four-year applied technical degree programs at Shawnee State University.
Equally important, the partnership creates opportunities to strengthen connections between postsecondary education and Buckeye Hills Career Center’s comprehensive Adult Education system, supporting individuals who are entering the workforce, seeking career advancement, changing professions, or pursuing additional education and credentials.
“At Buckeye Hills Career Center, we believe that education should create opportunities, not obstacles,” said Jamie L. Nash, Superintendent of the Gallia-Jackson-Vinton Joint Vocational School District. “This partnership represents a shared commitment to developing a stronger, more connected workforce throughout Southern Ohio. By bringing secondary career-technical education, adult education, higher education, and industry together, we are creating opportunities for individuals to move seamlessly between education, advanced technical training, and meaningful employment.”
Nash emphasized that the partnership reflects Buckeye Hills Career Center’s ongoing commitment to serving as a comprehensive regional workforce development provider.
“Our responsibility extends well beyond preparing high school students for graduation. We are equally committed to serving adults who are looking to enter the workforce, develop new skills, advance in their careers, or pursue additional educational opportunities,” Nash continued. “Whether an individual is a high school student exploring a career pathway, a recent graduate entering the workforce, or an adult returning to education, our goal is to ensure that every pathway leads to opportunity.”
Strengthening Adult Education and Lifelong Learning
As one of Southeast Ohio’s major workforce development providers, Buckeye Hills Career Center offers a comprehensive Adult Education system designed to meet the evolving needs of individuals, employers, and regional industries.
Through career-focused technical training, healthcare education, skilled trades, industry-recognized credentials, and customized workforce training, Buckeye Hills provides adults with opportunities to develop marketable skills and pursue meaningful employment.
The ShawneeWORKS partnership provides a framework to further connect these Adult Education opportunities with Shawnee State University’s postsecondary degree programs, creating the potential for more efficient educational transitions, recognition of prior technical training, and expanded opportunities for continued academic and professional advancement.
“One of the most important components of this partnership is recognizing that workforce development is not limited to traditional high school or college students,” Nash stated. “Our Adult Education programs serve individuals at every stage of their professional lives. Many of these individuals are already working, supporting families, and contributing to our communities. They deserve the same opportunities to build upon their education, receive recognition for the skills they have developed, and advance toward additional credentials or college degrees.”
“We want individuals to understand that Buckeye Hills Career Center can be both the starting point and a continuing partner in their educational and professional journey. Our partnership with Shawnee State University strengthens that vision.”
Building a Stronger Regional Workforce
The partnership also recognizes the growing demand for technically skilled professionals across Ohio and the importance of aligning educational programs with the evolving needs of business and industry.
“Demand for graduates with applied technical skills is exploding throughout Ohio,” said Shawnee State University President Eric Andrew Braun. “This new partnership is a natural extension of the focus shared by Shawnee State University and our region’s outstanding career technical centers to provide students with the education and experience they need for the jobs they seek.”
In addition to Buckeye Hills Career Center, the inaugural ShawneeWORKS partners include:
- Pike County Career Technology Center
- Pickaway-Ross Career & Technology Center
- Scioto County Career Technical Center
- Southern Hills Career & Technical Center
Through this regional collaboration, participating institutions will work to improve the alignment of academic coursework, technical training, industry-recognized credentials, and postsecondary degree programs.
The initiative is designed to reduce unnecessary duplication of coursework, lower educational costs, accelerate degree completion, and provide employers with a stronger pipeline of qualified workers.
For Buckeye Hills Career Center, the partnership further strengthens its commitment to serving as a regional educational and workforce development resource for individuals of all ages.
“One of the greatest strengths of Southern Ohio is our willingness to work together for the betterment of our communities,” Nash added. “Shawnee State University understands the importance of community partnerships and recognizes the critical role career centers play in developing our regional workforce. We have an opportunity to build a model where high school education, adult education, higher education, and industry are connected rather than operating independently.”
“I have always believed that successful workforce development requires more than simply preparing someone for their first job. It requires creating opportunities for lifelong learning, career advancement, and economic stability. When we provide those opportunities, we strengthen not only our workforce, but our families, businesses, and entire communities.”
“At Buckeye Hills Career Center, we are not simply preparing individuals for jobs. We are creating pathways to successful lives, stronger families, and a more prosperous Southern Ohio. That is our mission, and it is why this partnership with Shawnee State University is so important to our region.”