COLUMBUS — Ohio gubernatorial candidates Richard Cordray and Mike DeWine will participate in “Talking Jobs with Ohio’s Next Governor,” a unique forum that will address education and jobs with young students and workers across Ohio. “Talking Jobs” will take place Thursday, Oct. 4 from 12:30 to 2:05 p.m. at the Idea Center® at Playhouse Square in Cleveland in front of a live studio audience of young Ohioans.

Young students and workers will be invited to submit questions for the candidates by using #TalkJobsOH on social media and by interacting with the livestreamed forum on Facebook, YouTube and wosu.org/talkjobs.

“Talking Jobs with Ohio’s Next Governor” is funded by The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) through a grant for the “American Graduate: Getting to Work” initiative. “American Graduate” is public media’s long‐term commitment to help young people succeed in school, career and life by supporting community‐based solutions, including national and local reporting, town halls and public forums, like “Talking Jobs.”

During the forum, the candidates will appear individually in back‐to‐back segments and will be allotted 45 minutes each to interact with young Ohioans and respond to their questions and comments about education, workforce development and job creation. Andy Chow of the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau will serve as the forum moderator.

Co‐produced by a statewide public media collaborative of CET in Cincinnati, ideastream in Cleveland and WOSU Public Media in Columbus, “Talking Jobs with Ohio’s Next Governor” provides a rare opportunity for young adults across the state to engage with the leading candidates in this year’s Ohio gubernatorial race.

“Ohio’s next governor can have a major impact on education, training and the opportunities that will be available to the state’s next generation of workers,” said David Fogarty, President and General Manager of CET. “This forum is a unique chance for students and young workers to ask their questions about the future and to hear directly from the candidates.”

“This forum creates a direct connection between the candidates and young Ohioans,” said ideastream Chief Executive Officer Kevin Martin. “The social media and livestream components of “Talking Jobs” offer students and young workers across the state a familiar, accessible way to address their priorities with Cordray and DeWine.”

Tom Rieland, WOSU Public Media’s General Manager, agrees: “We’re proud to partner with our public media colleagues for an innovative look at workforce development for a demographic that is often overlooked — but will have a major impact on the jobs of tomorrow in Ohio. This interactive forum is a significant kickoff to an initiative that will give a voice to 16 to 26‐year olds who are wondering about job security, just like the candidates themselves.”

The forum will be recorded and created into a one‐hour television special to be broadcast by WOSU TV on Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m.

About CET

CET is a service of Public Media Connect (PMC), a regional public media partnership with ThinkTV, Dayton, serving the more than 3 million people in the Greater Cincinnati and Dayton communities.

About ideastream

The mission of ideastream is to strengthen our communities. ideastream pursues this mission as a multiple media public service organization by providing distinctive, thought‐provoking programs and services that enlighten, inspire, educate and entertain.

About WOSU Public Media

WOSU Public Media is a community‐supported, noncommercial network of public radio and television stations, and digital services, serving central Ohio.

About American Graduate

American Graduate is public media’s long‐term commitment to enhance community‐based solutions to help young people succeed in school, career and life. Supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), more than 125 public television and radio stations have joined forces with over 1,700 partners to elevate the stories of youth and the adults who help them succeed.

About CPB

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of nearly 1,500 locally owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television and related online services.

For more information, visit http://www.cpb.org.