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
| Original Partners | New Partners | Underwriters |
- 2nd & 7 Foundation
- Adjutant General
- American Electric Power
- Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital & Richard J. Solove Research Institute
- Autotool
- 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
- Grote Company
- 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
- Edward Rivalsky
- 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.