News release concerning $20,000 grant from AT&T Ohio to the OTAP program at Columbus State Community College

1. For more information, contact:
Holly Hollingsworth David Wayne
AT&T Ohio Columbus State Community College
(614) 223-5711, office (614) 287-2161, office
holly.hollingsworth@att.com dwaynewu@cscc.edu
TEENS IN SKILLED LABOR PROGRAM IMPROVE
ATTENDANCE, GET DIPLOMAS
Program coordinators search for further funding to help more teens and adults
COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 1, 2012 — Eighteen year-old Jacob Kozelek is one of the several
hundred people who have completed the Orientation to Trade and Apprenticeship Program
(OTAP) at Columbus State Community College, and he is one of 34 whose work boots, tools
and supplies for the program were provided by the local arm of global communications company
AT&T*.
―Although very bright, Jacob struggled in traditional school,‖ said his mother, Maria. ―We knew
when he was in first grade, when he complained that his peers were ‗one-dimensional‘ and that
homework was ‗useless and redundant‘ – his own 6 year-old words – that we were in trouble.
We were uncertain he would finish his senior year and graduate. To our surprise, when Jacob
started the OTAP program he was engaged for the first time in about two years. We feel this
program saved Jacob from a very uncertain path.‖
OTAP is offered by the Community Education and Workforce Development division of
Columbus State Community College, providing 10 weeks of technical training for teenagers and
adults in skilled trades such as plumbing, carpentry, masonry, electrical, roofing, construction
and more. Adults often become involved in the program to increase their employability. For the

2. high school students who participate in OTAP for Youth, an eventual job is only one part of the
motivation.
―One of the key lessons they learn in OTAP for Youth is that they can‘t make it to the trades
unless they earn a high school diploma first,‖ said Dr. David T. Harrison, president of Columbus
State Community College. ―And that was where the connection was made with AT&T. They are
focused on helping to confront the high school dropout crisis, so OTAP pursued and was
awarded a $20,000 AT&T grant that is helping provide training supplies for several dozen of our
OTAP for Youth students.‖
Of the first 302 students who completed OTAP for Youth, 75 percent had perfect attendance
once they enrolled in the program. ―A number of our students are at high risk of dropping out
when they first walk in the door,‖ said Carol Higgins, OTAP Supervisor.
Mary Slaback, senior advisor for The Graham School in Columbus, agrees: ―OTAP literally
turned our students‘ lives around. Some were very close to dropping out of school and not
graduating. Their participation and love of participating in OTAP were unbelievable and now
these students have a clear direction of where they want to go in life.‖
But OTAP is a program entirely reliant on grant funding. It is unclear how long the program will
continue, or whether another business or private foundation might step up into AT&T‘s shoes.
―We see that OTAP doesn‘t only advance education, OTAP provides needed workforce
preparation, and that strengthens our community overall,‖ said Michael Kehoe, vice-president of
AT&T Ohio. ―We are happy to point out the fact that we support OTAP and the positive
difference it makes for individual students, their families and all of us as their neighbors.‖
Kehoe joined State Representatives Nancy Garland and Michael Stinziano in a visit to OTAP
classrooms Thursday to meet the program‘s students and instructors and see the impact of the
AT&T grant firsthand. ―Speaking with the students and their parents makes it clear that OTAP is
changing lives, and I have no doubt that the skills taught here with AT&T‘s help are benefitting
these families as well as the broader community,‖ said Garland.
―I‘m encouraged by the great work of this program and its students, as well as the support AT&T
has provided,‖ Stinziano said. ―Workforce preparation efforts like these are so important to keep

3. our communities vibrant. I hope other organizations are able to do as AT&T has and offer
additional help to keep the OTAP program in place.‖
Jacob Kozelek says OTAP has given him self-assurance and direction. ―My horizons have been
massively broadened. I‘m still not sure exactly what I want to do after high school, but I feel
much more confident about my future prospects now that I have a better idea of the options out
there. I only have one complaint about the program: I want to learn more, so much more. I look
forward to participating in the adult OTAP program the next time it‘s offered.‖
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the
AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
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