COLUMBUS — A recent report found that nearly 30,000 youth across central Ohio are neither in school nor working. At the same time, there are 270,000 open jobs in Columbus alone that pay $22 an hour. WOSU Public Media looks at this disconnect with its newest podcast series, Rivet.
It tells the stories of 16- to 26-year olds, in their own words, trying to achieve professional success by taking nonconventional routes.
Rivet, which launches Thursday, Nov. 8, is produced and hosted by WOSU’s Multimedia Producer Leticia Wiggins. The podcast highlights career pathways outside of a four-year college degree and investigates barriers that keep young people from finding work.
Developed with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, it is part of the national initiative American Graduate: Getting to Work, which focuses on the essential skills needed for students and workers to succeed in the job markets of today and tomorrow.
The podcast will initially run for six weeks and release new episodes every Thursday. Each 10-15 minute episode of Rivet features personal vignettes like one man’s quest to be an apprentice in the field he loves; a young woman’s entry into insurance after a family tragedy; and a student who went against her guidance counselor’s expectations to study electromechanical engineering.
To listen to all episodes in the Rivet podcast starting Nov. 8, subscribe to each in iTunes, listen at wosu.org/rivet, or download the free WOSU Public Media mobile app for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android and Amazon devices.
About American Graduate
Since 2011, the public media initiative American Graduate, made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), has grown into one of the largest public media collaborations across the country with over 125 local public media organizations, and national television and radio producers and distributors, working with more than 1,700 community partners. National and local reporting, public forums and town halls, and education resources drove awareness and discussions among leaders, educators, students and concerned citizens, and inspired adults to become an American Graduate Champion for the nation’s youth.
Stations played an important role helping communities address the challenges and highlight local solutions to the dropout crisis, and the national graduation rate is now at an unprecedented 84.1 percent. In 2018, together with 19 stations, CPB launched the initiative’s next phase, “American Graduate: Getting to Work,” to partner with schools and businesses, and help prepare students with the skill sets and training needed to be part of the new workforce, especially for high-demand fields.
Explore local content at wosu.org/americangraduate.
WOSU Public Media is a community-supported, noncommercial network of public radio and television stations, and digital services. To learn more, visit wosu.org.
