By Lois Marshall-Ward, senior grant writer, JobTrain, Menlo Park.
JobTrain is committed to helping those who are most in need to succeed. Our purpose is to improve the lives of people in our community through assessment, job-skills training and career placement.
Almost 50 years after opening our doors with a single typing class, JobTrain has grown into a workforce development organization, providing job-training programs and services to 8,000 individuals and their families annually.
Since the organization began in 1965, more than 190,000 people have benefited from a JobTrain program.
Last year 89 percent of those who enrolled in JobTrain's full-time vocational training completed their program and 76 percent were placed in jobs. We are proud to report that 88 percent of graduates placed in a job are still working one year later, and many have been promoted.
JobTrain also provides an excellent return on investment for the community. Last year, close to $13 million in economic benefit to the community resulted from wages earned by graduates, and savings in public benefits
A life transformed
Growing up in East Palo Alto, Leevonne made some decisions he would later regret.
"I spent so many of my years in prison and that was the only life I knew," he says. "I remember coming to JobTrain and still feeling 'tough,' I carried myself as if I was still in prison. Then something happened. I started to feel good about the new things I was learning. JobTrain was a place for me to begin my transformation to become a better person <0x2914> to become a productive member of society."
In 2013, Leevonne graduated from JobTrain's Laborers Construction Fundamentals Training Program. He went to work for CLP Resources, a staffing firm for skilled construction workers. Soon he found himself working on construction sites for W.L. Butler Construction Inc.
Leevonne earned the praise of his project managers and was offered a full-time job at the company. Leevone is now a contributing member of his community and his future looks bright.
Go to jobtrainworks.org or call (650) 330-6429 to learn more about JobTrain, which is at 1200 O'Brien Drive in Menlo Park.
This story contains 366 words.
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