For Work-Study Partners
How It Works
Cristo Rey Columbus High School’s Professional Work-Study Program (PWSP) is a proven business model designed to meet your entry-level employee needs and your bottom line! It’s also designed to make the employment process as easy as possible for your business.
The PWSP is its own corporation that provides employment services, which saves you administrative overhead. Students are employees of the PWSP, not your company. That means the PWSP handles all payroll, W-4, I-9, Workers’ Compensation, FICA, FUTA, and other aspects of employment associated with the student workers.
The PWSP will provide you with a fee-for-service contract to be paid annually, tri-annually, or monthly. These contract fees are applied directly toward the cost of the student’s education at Cristo Rey Columbus High School. You may deduct these fees as business expenses and not as charitable donations.
All of our students participate in our work-study program, working five days per month during the school year at their assigned local business. At their jobs, students engage in various entry-level activities, from customer service, to social media strategy and execution, to IT support. A team of 4 students fills one full-time work-study position. Each member of the student team will work one full day each week (approximately 7-8 hours per day) and an extra day every four weeks of the school year, excluding school holidays. The workday will be approximately 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., although those times may vary depending on the needs of your business and the proximity of your business to the high school.
The PWSP prepares our students for college by developing project- and time-management skills, leadership abilities, and personal accountability. By working with you, their adult colleagues, in a professional setting, our students consistently see and experience what college can lead to. That modeling and positive reinforcement is invaluable and is not available in a typical scholastic model.
For more details about the possible jobs our students can fulfill at your company, read our Student Job Descriptions. Here’s a visual example of a Cristo Rey PWSP schedule:
A= Monday Worker B= Tuesday Worker C= Wednesday Worker D= Thursday Worker
Before starting their entry-level jobs, all students must satisfactorily complete our Summer Business Training program. During this time, we train students in general professional office skills and prepare them for their new responsibilities come the fall. Throughout the whole process, our staff serve as liaisons between your company and our students. We provide ongoing support all four years to answer any questions you might have and to ensure our students are responsibly meeting your needs.
Benefits
- A full-time, highly productive employee at a reduced cost
- Little to no HR responsibilities
- Youthful energy and ideas in the office that prove useful and refreshing, especially for growing businesses
- Opportunity to train/recruit future employees upon graduation/college as part of workforce development
- Opportunity to cultivate young, diverse talent
- Lasting relationships with the leaders of tomorrow
For more information on how to be a Professional Work-Study partner, please contact Somers L. Martin, PWSP Director of Sales at smartin@crchsworks.org.
A Word from Our Work-Study Supervisors
2023-24 Professional Work-Study Partners
2nd & 7 Foundation
Adjutant General
American Electric Power
Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital & Richard J. Solove Research Institute
Baird
The Barbasol Foundation
BeecherHill
Better Business Bureau
Big Brothers Big Sisters
Blue & Co.
Brady Ware
Bricker Graydon LLC
Broad Street Food Pantry
Buckeye Innovation
Buckeye Power, Inc
Builders Exchange
Burgess & Niple
Cameron Mitchell Restaurants
Casto
Catholic Cemeteries of Columbus
Catholic Social Services
Central Ohio Primary Care
Central Ohio Transit Authority
Champion Companies
Childhood League Center
City Barbeque, Inc.
City of Columbus
Columbus Early Learning Centers
Columbus Humane Society
Columbus Instruments
Columbus Landmarks
Columbus Metropolitan Library
Columbus Museum of Art
Columbus Regional Airport Authority
ComDoc Inc.
Community Development For All People
Community of Caring Development Foundation
COSI
Crane Group
Tom and Debra Davis
Diamond Hill
Dominican Sisters of Peace
Encova Insurance
Expeditors International
First Merchants Bank
Franklin County Auditor
Franklin County Board of Commissioners (3 teams):
* Office on Aging
* Office of Animal Care and Control
* Office of Job and Family Services
Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Recorder
Franklin County Treasurer
Free Store for All People
Germain Automotive Partnership
Germain Motor Company
Gladden Food Pantry
Godman Guild
Goodwill Columbus
Gordon Flesch
Grange Insurance
Habitat for Humanity
Homeport
Huntington National Bank
Ice Miller
IGS Energy
Installed Building Products
Junior Achievement
KeyBank
Kimball Midwest
KPMG
Jim Laird
LifeCare Alliance
Lincoln Theatre
Local Matters
MedFlight/MedCare Ambulance
Mark and Sharon Meyer
MI Homes Foundation
Mid-Ohio Food Collective
Mount Carmel Health System
Nationwide Insurance
NetJets Services, Inc.
Office of Budget and Management
Ohio Auditor of State
Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation
Ohio Department of Administrative Services
Ohio Department of Agriculture
Ohio Department of Commerce
Ohio Department of Development
Ohio Department of Health
Ohio Department of Insurance
Ohio Department of Job and Family Services
Ohio Department of Medicaid
Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services
Ohio Department of Public Safety
Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction
Ohio Department of Transportation
Ohio Department of Youth Services
Ohio Dominican University
Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
Ohio Police & Fire Pension Fund (2.5 teams)
Ohio Treasurer of State
OhioHealth (4.5 teams):
* Doctors Hospital
* Dublin Methodist
* Grant
* Riverside
Otterbein University
Park National Bank
Peoples Bank
Perio, Inc.
Porter Wright
Bill & Sheila Riat
Rockbridge Capital
Safex, Inc.
School Employees Retirement System
Scott Scriven LLP
Siemer Family Foundation
St. Mary Magdalene School
St. Mary School
St. Timothy School
St. Vincent de Paul Society
State Auto Insurance Companies
T. Marzetti
Taft, Stettinius & Hollister
Telhio Credit Union
The Reeb Center
Tri-W
United Schools Network
VIUM Capital
The Walter Foundation
The Wendy’s Company
White Castle
YMCA – Hilltop
YMCA – VanBuren
YMCA of Central Ohio
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the student’s work schedule interfere with his or her classroom schedule?
No. Students will not miss any classes while working because their curriculum is structured so that all of their course work is covered during the days of the week when they are not at the work site. Our class days are longer than other high schools, and the school year is longer as well. Following the proven success of other Cristo Rey schools throughout the country, students at Cristo Rey Columbus will fulfill all the requirements of a college preparatory high school and will be well-positioned when applying to college.
Do all students go to work?
Yes! All students must participate in the Professional Work-Study Program (PWSP). This program is part of the curriculum and finances a significant portion of the cost of the student’s private high school education. A team of 4 students fill the entry-level functions of one full-time work-study position. Each member of the student team will work one full day each week (approximately 7-8 hours per day) and an extra day every four weeks of the school year, excluding school holidays. The workday will be approximately 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., although those times may vary depending on the needs of the business and the proximity of the business to the high school. (Students may be available to work during school breaks if there is a mutual agreement with the company, our PWSP Director, and the student.)
Will students get to choose where they work?
All students will complete a summer training program prior to the start of school. At this time, the Work-Study staff will begin to explore with students their interests and preferences for work experiences. The Work-Study Director will make the final determination as to where each student will be placed.
Who supervises the students at work?
Each company is asked to designate an on-site supervisor who will help guide and support the student in this challenging but rewarding experience. Both the supervisors and the Work-Study Staff will provide overall guidance, education, and support. That way, all students will feel successful at work, and the company’s work needs are met.
Can parents contact the company where their child works?
No. All communications to and from our work-study partners must be made through the Work-Study staff at Cristo Rey Columbus High School.
How does the student get to work each week?
The Work-Study Program will make arrangements with transportation companies to take the students from the high school to their workplace in the morning and pick them up at the end of the day to return them to school.
What kind of work will students do?
A team of 4 students will fill the entry-level functions of one full-time work-study position. At their jobs, students engage in various entry-level activities, from customer service, to social media strategy and execution, to IT support. A student’s job description may evolve over time with experience and grow to include more technical and difficult tasks. The purpose of the work experience is to expose students to a professional culture and expand their dreams for their futures.
How can I learn more about the Cristo Rey Columbus Professional Work-Study Program?
Please contact PWSP Director of Sales Somers Martin at 614-223-9261, ext. 005 or smartin@crchsworks.org.