Bridging The Gap Between Schools, Students, And Employers.
Team Workforce is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Youngstown, Ohio, serving the Mahoning Valley and Appalachian Ohio.
Built To Close The Skills Gap Where We Live.
The job market is changing, and so should the way we prepare people for it. Team Workforce exists to create a seamless bridge between education, credentialing, and meaningful employment. We identify the skills local employers actually hire for, then we bring the training and the testing to the students and adults who need them, in the buildings where they already are.
We work through partnerships. School districts open their classrooms. Employers open their doors. State programs like Ohio TechCred and the Regional Education Partnership designation give the work structure and reach. Team Workforce brings the instructors, the credentials, the testing center, and the follow-through that turns a certificate into a job.
Our goal is simple: every student and young adult in the Mahoning Valley should be able to earn a credential that counts and find an employer who values it, without leaving home to do it.
What Guides The Work.
- Lead With Innovation
- We build programs that connect academic learning to real-world skills, and we change them when the labor market changes.
- Open And Honest
- We tell schools, employers, and families what a credential is worth, what it costs, and what it takes to earn it.
- Guided By Curiosity
- We help students discover what they are good at and what they care about, then build a customized pathway toward it.
- Equitable Access
- Credentials should not depend on where you live or what your district can afford. We bring them to rural and small districts first.
- Quality Management
- We run the organization the way we teach Lean Six Sigma: define the problem, measure it, improve it, and hold the gain.
Continuous Improvement Is Our Operating System.
Team Workforce was structured using the Six Sigma DMAIC method: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control. We involve stakeholders from education, industry, and government to understand workforce challenges fully before we design a program, and we measure every program against the outcomes that matter to the people in it: credentials earned, graduation points generated, and jobs started.
One of the largest challenges facing the American workforce is the gap in middle-skill jobs, the ones that require a high school diploma, a postsecondary certificate, or an associate degree. Demand for those jobs outpaces the number of people qualified to fill them. That gap is where we work.
The People Behind Team Workforce.
-
Rick Shepas
Founder and Director of Operations. Rick leads day-to-day operations, employer relationships, and program delivery across the region.
Rick on LinkedIn -
Maria Shepas
Executive Director. Maria leads the organization’s strategy, partnerships, fiscal management, and compliance.
Maria on LinkedIn -
Bryant Youngblood
Director of Regional Partnerships & Educational Strategy. Bryant leads education programs and executes the Regional Education Partnership, serving as the organization’s point of contact with the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.
Bryant on LinkedIn
Work With Us.
We partner with school districts, employers, workforce boards, and funders who want measurable results for students and young adults.