WHEELING — The Ohio County Development Authority and a locally based online job site are teaming together to match students with businesses, internships and potential careers.

The OCDA and Hasule Inc. this week launched a new pilot internship program with a mission to connect students and skilled trades in Ohio County. The intent is that, along the way, the students will experience meaningful career exploration and gain insight into jobs that are available locally and can keep them close to home, explained Stephanie Hockenberry, growth and retention coordinator for the OCDA.

She explained she and Tisson Joel, founder of Hasule Inc., have been working on the program since February. They have been reaching out to local higher education providers about participating, as well secondary schools.

The program will include career exploration modules to introduce students in grades 6-12 to diverse fields early on. Also, there will be internship opportunities and apprenticeship invitations with local businesses, nonprofits, and government partners, Hockenberry said.

There will be skilled trades partnerships with local colleges to bridge classroom learning with practical application.

But most importantly, Hasule will use its digital platform to track student progress, connect students with mentors, and align their skills with employers seeking those talents.

Hockenberry said the project explained the project addresses “one of the main buckets” and issues she was expected to take on as growth and retention coordinator.

“We are trying to keep our focus local, and we want to get to what the needs are both for education and the community,” she explained.

Joel said students interested in participating for now must do so through their schools.

“We sign them (schools) up, then provide access to their students,” he explained.

On the business side, many of the schools already have established relationships with employers, and they are welcome to sign up with Hasule. Surveys from Hasule ask the businesses to list what they are seeking in an employee, while the students provide information about themselves and what they want in a future career.

Job seekers are then matched up with employers with the help of an AI system.

“Our mission for now is to make the whole process more streamline for them so they don’t have to (go from business to business),” Joel said of students.

The project also goes beyond just internships and job placement, he continued.

“If they want to explore certain things (jobs-related), they can do that as well,” Joel explained. “It goes beyond internships. If a business wants to host a workplace tour or a job shadow with students, they can do that.

“If they want to facilitate engagement with the students, we can arrange that, too.”

Joel said so far Hasule has been working with businesses that already have internship programs in place. But in the future, he would like to work with more small businesses to help them establish programs and engage more students – who could be their future employees.

“In the long-term, you want to focus on the small businesses who don’t have an internship program. They don’t know how to launch it,” he continued. “That’s something we need right now, and it’s about how we go about that and help them.”

Hockenberry added it is beneficial to work with students while they are still young and expose them to various careers. This could keep them from preparing for a job that’s not to their liking.

“The idea is to help them figure out who they are as a person, and what would best serve them in the future for their growth and success,” she said. “Then we match them to an employer’s needs. It’s really meant to be beneficial to everyone.”