WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
Key staffing positions were filled Tuesday for the county-backed College Access Network.
The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners hired Ann Happel, Brian McDaniel and Anita Schlabach as service providers for the countywide program.
College Access Network stemmed from the Sturgis SUCCESS program, which helps students become better prepared for secondary education, whether it’s at the community college level, a four-year university or a combination of the two.
County administrator Pat Yoder said commissioners see the CAN program – approved by the five-member county commission in July with about $134,000 in funding – as an economic-development tool.
Its goal, Yoder said, is to retain residents after they receive post-high-school education and put them to work in St. Joseph County.
Yoder said the county has heard from manufacturers who indicate they need an educated workforce, and College Access Network is a means by which some of those high school seniors can prepare for college and get an education to fill jobs locally, he noted.
