Focus Learning Academy East played host to the first Community Employee Assistance Network (CEAN) meeting of 2011 on Thursday, Jan. 13. Seventeen members, representing various local and national organizations, met to network and share job leads throughout Central Ohio.

<a href="http://www.eschoolconsultants.com/wp-content/uploads/eschool_wordpress/2011/01/20110113-01.jpg"><img src="http://www.eschoolconsultants.com/wp-content/uploads/eschool_wordpress/2011/01/20110113-01-300x225.jpg" width="300" height="225" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-621" /></a>The mission of the Community Employee Assistance Network is to make a difference in the employment picture in Central Ohio. The organization encourages networking amongst employers, employment agencies, local government, institutions of higher education, job seekers, and career coaches, amongst others. Some of the organizations that are a part of
CEAN include United Way, FedEx, the Ohio State University, the Salvation Army and the Urban League.

Present at the meeting were several members of the Focus Learning Academy staff, including School Social Worker Javar Godfrey, who notes, "I think CEAN is very important to be a part of due to the networking and long-lasting partnerships that come from the relationship."

<a href="http://www.eschoolconsultants.com/wp-content/uploads/eschool_wordpress/2011/01/20110113-02.jpg"><img src="http://www.eschoolconsultants.com/wp-content/uploads/eschool_wordpress/2011/01/20110113-02-300x225.jpg" alt="" title="20110113-02" width="300" height="225" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-622" /></a>After the meeting the group took a tour of Focus Learning Academy, a state-funded charter school that helps teens and young adults between the ages of 16 and 22 years old earn their high school diploma while preparing for the workforce. Focus Learning Academy is dedicated to educating students, while allowing them the flexibility to learn a living while attending school.