ESC Career Navigators Help Local Students Overcome Barriers
The East Central Ohio Educational Service Center helps students across the region prepare for life after graduation through career navigation services aimed at those facing barriers to employment or education.
The East Central Ohio Educational Service Center (ESC) with offices in Cambridge, New Philadelphia and St. Clairsville serves 12 school districts across five counties, offering a wide range of services to support both schools and students.
The ESC works to meet the varying needs of local districts, such as supplying teachers and chief financial officers to provide speech-language pathologists and school nurses.
Among its services are career navigators, including Melissa Kovalsky and Dirk DeCoy, who work through the Comprehensive Case Management and Employment Program (CCMEP) in partnership with OhioMeansJobs.
The program has been in place locally since 2021, when OhioMeansJobs secured a grant and partnered with the ESC to provide career navigation services.
OhioMeansJobs, a state-funded agency within job and family services, offers employment support not only for students but also for adults seeking new skills or job placement.
“Career navigators help students figure out what they may have an aptitude for,” Kovalsky said. “We help put them in contact with different businesses that may provide mentorship or apprenticeship type things.”
The program focuses on students ages 14 to 24 who face barriers such as financial hardship or learning challenges.
“We work with these students and help them figure out a path to take once they graduate,” Kovalsky said. “That could be by helping them fill out college applications, getting a resume together for them, assisting with job applications, things of that nature. And we try to help them overcome barriers.”
In addition, DeCoy said navigators assist students with practical needs such as obtaining a driver’s license or securing important documents like birth certificates.
The CCMEP program also includes the Summer Youth Employment Program, which places students in part-time jobs with local employers, typically working 15 to 20 hours per week while earning paid wages.
Kovalsky said she has reached out to area business owners, asking them to take in students and provide hands-on learning.
Through CCMEP, student wages are fully covered.
“It’s beneficial for the student, because they get that work experience, and they get to grow their professional network a little bit,” Kovalsky said. “And it’s helpful for the business too, because they get support at no expense to them.”
In return, employers are simply asked to mentor the students and help guide their development.
Participants may also receive financial incentives for completing the FAFSA for college.
The ESC partners with the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference (OVAC) to expand opportunities for students. Through this collaboration, CCMEP participants can attend leadership presentations offered to student athletes during its varsity board meetings.
Student athletes and CCMEP students attend an OVAC Varsity Board event. [Photo Provided by Melissa Kovalsky]
“It only takes one story or one comment to impact someone’s life,” DeCoy said. “The more exposure students have to leadership and professional speakers, the more likely they are to take something meaningful away from it.”
Kovalsky added these events also help students build connections outside their usual peer groups.
Students can learn about the program through school visits, guidance counselors or contacting the ESC directly. Once deemed eligible, participants typically meet one-on-one with a navigator to address their individual needs.
Eligibility requirements generally include financial need, such as qualifying for free or reduced lunch and may also include students with individualized special education programs.
“I like helping the students realize some potential they have and what opportunities are out there for them, and help prepare them for that,” Kovalsky said. “A lot of these students don’t always have the most guidance in other places.”
“For me, being a mentor is rewarding, and it’s kind of like big brothers and big sisters. You take these kids under your wing and try to help them out with your own personal network and your own professional network,” DeCoy added. “It’s just rewarding knowing you’ve made a difference in somebody’s life career wise.”
DeCoy ended by stating that the program’s goals are simple.
“The things we want for these kids is to help them get their high school diploma, get their driver’s license, get a resume and job experience,” DeCoy said.
Students interested in the program can speak with their school guidance counselor or contact the ESC at 330-308-9939 to begin the application process. The Belmont County application is accessible here.
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