--- title: Transforming career education and training at Van Wert City Schools description: The America’s Work Force Union Podcast is the nation’s premier daily labor program. Kerry Koontz from Van Wert City Schools joined us on today’s show. image: https://awf.labortools.com/hubfs/VWCS%20Red.png --- 1 min read Season 5, Episode 247 # Transforming career education and training at Van Wert City Schools [ awfblog ](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/author/awfblog) December 12, 2024 [America's Work Force Union Podcast](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/tag/americas-work-force-union-podcast) [AWF](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/tag/awf) [Ohio Federation of Teachers](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/tag/ohio-federation-of-teachers) ![VWCS Gray](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/VWCS%20Gray.png?width=400&height=400&name=VWCS%20Gray.png)   Guest Name: --- Kerry Koontz Guest Website: --- [CEO Program](https://www.vwcs.net/departments/ceo-program-career-education-opportunity)  Guest Social Media: --- [ Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/vwcscougars/) [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/VWCSCougars) Supportive Documents: --- Kerry Koontz, a career counselor and coordinator of the [Career Education Opportunity (CEO) program](https://www.vwcs.net/departments/ceo-program-career-education-opportunity#:~:text=The%20CEO%20program%20is%20offered,apprenticeships%2C%20or%20other%20business%20opportunities.) at Van Wert City Schools in Ohio, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to explain how the program is changing how high school students prepare for their futures.   With a background in education and counseling, Koontz recognized the gap between traditional schooling and career readiness. Nine years ago, he launched the CEO program to bridge this divide, offering high school seniors the chance to explore careers through direct experience, apprenticeships and internships. Koontz's program connects students with local businesses, allowing them to gain practical skills and insights into potential career paths. Starting with just 17 students, the program has grown to include around 90 participants and partnerships with over 140 businesses. This growth underscores the program's success in preparing students for the workforce. Launching the CEO program required overcoming skepticism and building trust with local businesses. Koontz's persistence paid off, as initial success stories led to wider community support. The program now serves as a model for other schools, demonstrating the value of experiential learning in career preparation. By equipping students with the skills and experiences they need, Koontz is helping shape a more prepared and capable future workforce.  Listen to the full episode for more insights into the program and its impact, and explore how similar initiatives can benefit other communities. --- America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues. America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers. - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ##### SUBSCRIBE ON: --- [![Group 342](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AmericasWorkForce/podcast%20logos/Apple%20Podcasts%20Button-Dark.png?width=171&name=Apple%20Podcasts%20Button-Dark.png)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/americas-work-force-union-podcast/id1511224946) [![Group 341](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AmericasWorkForce/podcast%20logos/Spotify%20Button-Dark.png?width=100&name=Spotify%20Button-Dark.png)](https://open.spotify.com/show/0GzkHxFSBxiXvuX0lZpQBn) [![Group 343](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Group%20343.png?width=135&name=Group%20343.png)](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/americas-work-force-union-podcast-62567752/) [![Group 339](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Group%20339.png?width=110&name=Group%20339.png)](https://www.pandora.com/podcast/americas-work-force-union-podcast/PC:47979) [![Group 397](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Group%20397.png?width=125&name=Group%20397.png)](https://americasworkforceradiopodcast.podbean.com/) [![Group 397](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/YouTube_button.png?width=125&name=YouTube_button.png)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuQo1PAtRAel1_tS7-PQOkA)   #### [Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen on the Union Pacific Merger Threat](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/brotherhood-of-railroad-signalmen-on-the-union-pacific-merger-threat) : July 6, 2026 # Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen on the Union Pacific Merger Threat Brandon Elvey, Secretary-Treasurer of the [Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen](https://www.brs.org/),... [Read More](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/brotherhood-of-railroad-signalmen-on-the-union-pacific-merger-threat) #### [AFL-CIO's Fred Redmond on the Convention, AI and America at 250](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/afl-cios-fred-redmond-on-the-convention-ai-and-america-at-250) : July 3, 2026 # AFL-CIO's Fred Redmond on the Convention, AI and America at 250 Fred Redmond, Secretary-Treasurer of the [AFL-CIO](https://awf.labortools.com/), joined the [America's Work Force...](https://awf.labortools.com/) [Read More](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/afl-cios-fred-redmond-on-the-convention-ai-and-america-at-250) #### [C/COBCTC's Dorsey Hager on Drones, Data Centers and Growth](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/c/cobctcs-dorsey-hager-on-drones-data-centers-and-growth) : July 2, 2026 # Dorsey Hager on Drones, Data Centers and Central Ohio's Building Boom Dorsey Hager, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the [Columbus/Central Ohio...](https://columbusconstruction.org/) [Read More](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/c/cobctcs-dorsey-hager-on-drones-data-centers-and-growth) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "awfblog", "url" : "https://awf.labortools.com/listen/author/awfblog" }, "dateModified" : "2024-12-12T18:17:04.786Z", "datePublished" : "2024-12-12T18:17:04.000Z", "headline" : "Transforming career education and training at Van Wert City Schools", "image" : [ "https://awf.labortools.com/hubfs/VWCS%20Red.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://awf.labortools.com/listen/transforming-career-education-and-training-at-van-wert-city-schools", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://awf.labortools.com/hubfs/labor-tools-logo-white.png" }, "name" : "BMA Media" } } ```