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

Some of Our Current Work-Study Partners

AEP Foundation (4 teams)*

Baird

The Barbasol Foundation*

BeecherHill

Better Business Bureau

Big Brothers Big Sisters

Blue & Co.

Brady Ware and Company

Bricker & Eckler

Broad Street Food Pantry

Buckeye Power/Ohio Electric

Buckeye Innovation

Budros, Ruhlin & Roe

Builders Exchange

Burgess & Niple

Casto

Catholic Social Services

Central Ohio Primary Care

Champion Companies

Childhood League Center

City Barbeque Inc.

City of Columbus

City of New Albany

Columbus Early Learning Centers

Columbus Humane

Columbus Instruments

Columbus Landmarks

Columbus Metropolitan Library (2 teams)

Columbus Museum of Art

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

ComDoc Inc.

Community Development For All People

Community of Caring Development Foundation

COSI

Crane Group

Dawson

Diamond Hill

Easton

Ernst & Young LLP

Encova*

Expeditors International

First Merchants Bank

Franklin County Auditor

Franklin County Board of Commissioners (3 teams)
• Office on Aging
• Office of Animal Care and Control
• Job and Family Services

Franklin Country Engineer

Franklin County Recorder

Franklin County Treasurer

Franklin Park Conservatory

Free Store for All People

Germain Automotive Partnership

Gladden Food Pantry

Godman Guild

Gordon Flesch

Grange Insurance

Grote Company*

Habitat for Humanity

Highlights for Children

Homeport

Huntington Bank

Ice Miller

IGS Energy

Installed Building Products*

 

JP Morgan Chase (7.5 teams)

Junior Achievement

Kegler Brown Hill + Ritter

KEMBA Financial Credit Union

Kimball Midwest (3 teams)

LifeCare Alliance

Lifeline of Ohio

Local Matters

MI Homes Foundation*

Mid-Ohio Food Collective

Mount Carmel Health System (5 teams)

Nationwide Insurance (1.5 teams)

NiSource

Oakwood Senior Living

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 (1.5 teams)

Ohio Department of Development

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 Corrections

Ohio Department of Transportation

Ohio Department of Youth Services

Ohio Dominican University

Ohio Environmental Protection Agency

Ohio Police & Fire Pension Fund (2.5 teams)

OhioHealth (2 teams)

Otterbein University

Park National Bank

Pelotonia

Peoples Bank

Perio Inc.

Porter Wright*

The Reeb Center

Rockbridge Capital

Royal Paper Stock Co.

Safex*

St. Brigid of Kildare

St. Joseph Montessori School

St. Mary Magdalene School

St. Mary School

St. Timothy School

School Employees Retirement System of Ohio

Scott Scriven LLP

State Auto

T. Marzetti

Taft, Stettinius & Hollister

Talisman Capital Partners*

Telhio

Tri-W Group*

United Schools Network

VIUM Capital

White Castle

YMCA

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