Kim Herda has worked in office settings for the past 30 years - majority in medical office settings. When faced with dislocation and the closing of her office, she was faced with looking for new employment. While she had experience with a variety of computer programs and office machines, she realized that present day employers are looking for the crème of the crop, wanting people with college degrees. After futile attempts at gaining a new position, she started exploring her options on returning to school to complete a college degree. Kim found out about WIA and visited the Grundy Workforce Services office to seek support to return to school. Kim says "without WIA I would not have been able to return to school."
At this point in the WIA program Kim feels that it has been a positive experience. “I would never have been able to financially afford returning to school since I was not working. My workforce coordinator is extremely supportive and has been very helpful with everything every step of the way.” Kim is working on her Associates Degree for Administrative Assistant at Joliet Junior College. She also continued her job search and gained employment within the healthcare industry once again. “At this point in time I am still working on completing my degree, but at my coordinator’s suggestions the first few classes I completed were computer classes. These classes make me more marketable in the workforce and they have already paid off. I have been able to help co-workers and have more confidence when I’m using newer versions of programs that I have used for years. No more fumbling around looking for the menu items.”
When asked “If your WIA experience/support has been positive thus far, would you encourage other residents to consider this type of program?” Kim’s response is, “I would highly recommend anyone who qualifies for this program to do it. You are only improving yourself. There are times when it’s been a struggle between family, work, and school, but I it is totally worth it and in the long run my family will reap the benefits.”
- Kim Herda, Grundy WIA grant recipient
"I have worked ever since I was able to drive. My first job was working at a hardware store while I was in High School. I learned from my parents the values of punctuality and working as smart as I could until the completion of the task would only benefit from hard work. This combination of problem solving and a strong work ethic has assisted me throughout all of the jobs I have had during my working life. After High School I worked construction in the summer driving off road dump trucks to pay for my college. I was working on completing my general education courses with the hope of being accepted into a Physical Therapy program. Unfortunately, this goal was never met. As we all know, life changes and we have to do what is necessary to survive. I worked hard operating heavy equipment for the next decade until another change occurred. As the economy slowed the career that I had worked so hard to keep had vanished. I could not wait for the construction industry to recover from this economic crisis."
My only option was to retrain for a different career. I had to find a way to return to school. I heard about the WIA program from a friend, and after a few meetings and tests, I found that I would be eligible to use this excellent resource to retrain for a new career. The WIA program offered training for many different career choices. In the strangest of chances I was able to return to what I had started so long ago. The WIA program afforded me the opportunity to finish my remaining general education classes. Upon completion of these classes, I applied and was accepted into the Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program at Kankakee Community College.
Through the WIA program I have been given a second chance in life to go back and finish what I had started. Upon completing the PTA program, I will have an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science. I will be licensed to practice Physical Therapy by the state of Illinois under the supervision of a Physical Therapist. Currently I am in my second semester of the PTA program and looking forward to my first summer clinical. I have just slightly over a year left in the PTA program before I can graduate and sit for licensure.
I would strongly recommend seeking the advice and support of the WIA program if you have experienced career loss. All of the WIA staff and counselors have been extremely helpful.
- Samuel Hutton, Grundy WIA grant recipient
High school is harder, college is harder. Even though there have been many obstacles, Cameron has looked beyond immediate barriers and continually strives to reach his goals. In high school, Cameron worked hard to graduate high school despite his learning disability and other personal issues that surrounded him. He continues to exceed expectations by fully investing himself as a participant in the local youth program, the Young Professionals Network. Throughout his involvement, he has attended classes at Joliet Junior College, developed a resume, participated in an internship, found and kept employment and has plans to serve our country by enlisting in the US Air Force.
Additionally, Cameron has achieved a National Career Readiness Certificate, level gold. To employers, this means the Cameron has what it takes to successfully perform in many occupations; it identifies his higher level thinking skills. Nationally and locally, many employers require this certificate during the application process. With this certificate, Cameron is more likely to be considered for employment and it never expires. He can use it to find a good job even after he leaves the Air Force.
- Cameron Dooley, Grundy WIA YPN grant recipient
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