Strategic Plan
In 2021-2022, SEP met with over 75 individual stakeholders and organizations in a series of listening sessions and workgroups. The overarching message from a diverse array of stakeholders across Stark County was that SEP plays an important role in the community, yet there are opportunities to continue adapting, evolving, and maximizing impact. A consistent theme of these conversations was that workforce needs are critically important and gaining momentum as a focus area.
SEP finds itself positioned to significantly improve the lives of individuals and contribute to Stark County’s well-being. Trends laid out in Stark Community Foundation’s 2017 Strengthening Stark: A Call for Economic Transformation Report informed and compelled many community members engaged in SEP’s strategic planning process. As the report makes clear, demographic trends showcase emerging workforce challenges in the region. Stark County is witnessing a decline in population, particularly younger residents, and low degree attainment relative to demand for skills. Education, workforce, and community leaders acknowledged these trends and spoke to the role SEP can play in better connecting the education and workforce systems, thus impacting individuals and the greater community positively.
SEP’s strategic plan reflects the input of the community and is designed to work in synergy with the work of other community partners. Accordingly, SEP has set out three key strategies.
WORKING AT THE INTERSECTION
Underlying all of SEP’s work is a belief that individuals thrive, as does the community they are part of, when we create opportunities for an individual’s interests and abilities to find their alignment with local career opportunities.
SEP’s strategies work at the intersection of each student’s interests, abilities, and opportunities. SEP looks to make an impact by ensuring individuals have a greater opportunity to identify their interests, develop in-demand skills, and connect to local job opportunities.
