Workforce System Success Stories - Workforce Development and Adult Learning

MEET JESSICA...

Jessica has a new lease on life and a new career, thanks to integrated workforce system services.

Jessica was a 49 year old woman facing multiple employment barriers when she was referred to her local American Job Center (AJC) for employment and training services. Jessica had not held a job in a long time and was essentially homeless, residing in a long-term residential treatment facility. In addition to suffering from opioid addiction, she was receiving benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and had limited education and marketable occupational skills. Jessica needed the coordinated resources of multiple workforce system partners to rise above such an overwhelming set of circumstances. And that’s exactly where the Western Maryland Consortium stepped in.

The workforce professionals at the Hagerstown AJC teamed with the other organizations who were helping Jessica on a variety of fronts to address her employment barriers. They helped her connect with a transitional job that would allow her to gain some recent work history, build her resume, and acquire some usable skills that would also support her efforts in recovery while in treatment. Not only did Jessica successfully complete her transitional employment period, but she also graduated from her treatment program.

The treatment center assisted her in moving into a transitional living situation. During this period, Jessica began CDL training at Hagerstown Community College and worked part-time to sustain her living expenses. She passed her CDL exam and obtained her CDL A license in November of 2022. With assistance from the Hagerstown AJC staff, she prepared a resume and conducted a job search, and found full-time employment with benefits utilizing her new CDL license within a matter of weeks. Today she is on her own with the skills and support she needs to make a sustainable living wage and thrive in recovery. Considering the journey, Jessica remarks, “I am incredibly grateful for all the support I have received along the way!”