WLIW21 Specials

Journey to Jobs
JOURNEY TO JOBS is a one-hour special, presented as part of the American Graduate: Getting to Work initiative, public media’s commitment to help communities illuminate pathways to gainful employment in America.
Hosted by PBS NewsHour Weekend anchor Hari Sreenivasan, JOURNEY TO JOBS highlights individuals and organizations across the country who are connecting job seekers to employment.
TRANSCRIPT
♪♪
>> "Journey to Jobs: A Special
Report" is part of...
"American Graduate: Getting to
Work," a public-media
initiative, made possible by...
Hi. I'm Hari Sreenivasan, and
welcome to "Journey to Jobs."
According to the
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
the unemployment rate in
the United States has recently
hit historically low levels.
This has been good news for
workers and the American
economy.
At the same time, certain
industries report that they have
more job openings than there are
trained people to fill them.
This is most prominent in
skills-based industries, like
construction or marine trades,
where there is a growing gap
between skills of potential
workers and open positions.
Through the American Graduate
initiative, public-media
stations across the country are
generating awareness about our
changing workforce.
Over the next hour, we'll
explore how vocational and other
specialized training can lead to
high-paying jobs and lifelong
careers in skills-based
industries.
We'll also explore alternative
pathways to high-demand, skilled
careers for those facing
barriers to employment, so join
us as we travel across America
to take a look at how local
organizations and individuals
are bridging the skills gap and
creating opportunities for job
seekers.
It's all ahead on "Journey to
Jobs: A Special Report," part of
"American Graduate:
Getting to Work."
First we visit Detroit,
Michigan, to meet
Felicia Wiseman, a union
electrician who is dedicated to
creating a diverse workforce in
the city's construction trades.
She's doing this by recruiting
young talent from traditionally
underrepresented groups and
teaching them the fundamental
skills needed to succeed.
Here's the story.
♪♪
>> Do you want another one?
Okay.
So, I am a journeyman inside
wireman.
I have been in for over 20
years.
What about you?
You finish your paperwork?
I love being out there in the
field, and I'll go toe to toe
with any of those guys any time,
any day, but I asked -- I said,
"I need to be in a position
where I can help more younger
people realize how this is done,
get more females into the
trade," and this just kind of
fell in my lap.
Once we started showing them
that, it's like, "Oh, I can make
that much money?"
Oh, yeah.
But they're not gonna pay you
that money to sit there on your
cellphone, you know, looking
cute, so you got to come there.
You got to work.
There's definitely a pot of gold
at the end of this rainbow.
>> The skills that we offer to
these students are marketable
skills, but they're skills that
can be used each and every day
of their lives.
>> Come on.
>> There is still the idea that
you got to go to college to be
successful.
>> When you go to college,
you're taking out, you know,
multiple loans, and then by the
time you finish college, you're
gonna be in debt.
You're gonna have to pay that
money back.
You know, you go in a trade, you
go out in the field while you're
learning in classes.
>> I find myself making sure
that I put certain individuals
in front of my kids, people that
look like them, because then I
know that my students can
picture themselves like them in
a few years.
>> For this and for, really, any
of the trades, the kids -- they
need to be serious about their
math classes.
>> You have to calculate, like,
what type of wire you need to
hold the electricity, and we do
math games like that...
>> N21.
>> ...math every day, to kind of
brush up on that if you need
help.
>> You're on a jobsite.
Your phone's dead.
You don't have a calculator.
How you gonna get your
measurements?
Okay?
>> I'm 42 years old, and I've
lived in Detroit my entire life.
This is something amazing.
I seen the opportunity of going
from having a job to having a
career, the difference of having
just a regular 9:00-to-5:00 and
having a skill.
I was working as a supplier for
Ford, and I was doing
quality-control work there.
Man!
I think I was making $12 an
hour.
I might not even have been
making that.
When I actually started my
apprenticeship, we started off
at $17.42, so that was
a large jump.
46 on the nose.
So I'm a very proud product of
the DPS.
And at no point did I know
anything about being in the
trades.
That was something that wasn't
mentioned to me.
As a matter of fact, it was kind
of looked down upon, like if you
got a college degree, you were
better than someone, but what
I've found is that it's
completely the opposite.
I've seen some of the most
intelligent people that I've met
that's in the trades.
Okay.
I don't see as many as I would
like to see when I see people
like me when I go on a jobsite,
but I think those numbers will
increase because...
we need 'em to.
>> Now we're in the midst of all
these great developments
happening in the city.
We're in the midst of a shortage
of skilled tradesworkers.
So, why not make sure that our
youth are a part of that?
>> Every day, 20 people retire
from, like, the trades, and
that's 20 spots that they need
jobs, 'cause only like one
person goes to fill that.
There's a lot of space for,
like, us to come up and work
there.
>> There's definitely not enough
women in here, and I'm always
reaching out to females, and you
get the same thing --
"Oh, it's a dirty job,"
"Oh, it's too hard,"
"Oh, I can't do it."
I'm like, "Yeah, you're dirty,
yeah, it's a hard job, but you
know what?
You got enough money that, every
weekend, you can get your hair
did, you can get your nails did,
you can go to the spa, you can
do whatever you want to.
So, I mean, just take advantage
of the opportunities.
>> Students are learning
valuable trades skills
in another sector --
the marine trades.
For more than a century, the
primary builder of submarines
for the U.S. Navy has been
General Dynamics Electric Boat.
The company builds submarines in
Rhode Island, where the marine
trades are in need of skilled
talent.
Electric Boat is training area
high-school students to fill
that need.
Let's take a look.
♪♪
>> The marine trades matter in
Rhode Island.
It's an important industry, it's
more technical, they're
good-paying jobs, and so that's
why we're focused on
the marine trades.
The key is we want to make sure
every young person who's
graduating from high school or
college can actually get a job.
And these vocational training
programs, career and technical
programs -- they're real skills,
but the key is bringing the
employers who are actually gonna
hire these people to the table.
And it's, so far, been a huge
success.
>> About four years ago,
the Department of Education,
Department of Labor and
Training, were working together
collaboratively on
Electric Boat.
And they rolled it out to the
career and tech centers
initially, first, that this is
an opportunity that exists.
We had Electric Boat come out
into our school, sit down with
our instructor, review what's
happening here.
They rolled out what they wanted
us to accomplish, and we put
together a curriculum that fit
for the program.
>> We've always had students
that have gone to Electric Boat,
maybe, after they've graduated
and gotten jobs, but not to the
extent of what we have now with
this partnership.
So, we focus more on the
marine-trades aspect of it --
everything from marine-engine
mechanics, metalworking and
welding, composites, varnishing,
electrical work, systems,
hydraulics.
You name it, we do it.
>> I hate sitting in class.
I can't sit still.
I have to do something with my
hands, and the way I learn,
I learn hands-on.
Well, my dad's a welder at
Electric Boat, and he'll be
sitting at dinner, talking on
what he did today and what he
welded, and I'll be like,
"For five years, I've been so
interested, I've wanted to do
it, to see what he does,"
but you can't do that at
Electric Boat.
So, like, the family day came
around, and we all went, and
then I fell in love with it.
I was like, "That's so cool.
I want to do that when I'm
older."
I love welding. It's so cool.
>> Actually, my dad was a welder
for a long time, and I was going
for marine biology, and my mom
kind of was like, "Hey, marine
trades," so I went in and
learned about boats,
and I loved it.
We just take our simple science,
math, English, language -- two
years, at least, if you'd like
to go to a four-year college --
and we get transferred here for
three hours a day, and we're
three hours at our home school
or wherever we belong.
>> And we have Allison, who
comes in and teaches us all how
to weld.
>> Yes. I build nuclear
submarines for the navy.
I come in.
I say hello to everybody.
Sometimes we have a little
muster in the morning.
And I tell them what I would
like for them to do for that
day, and we get to it.
The kids start setting up and I
meet them in the booth and we
start welding.
♪♪
I would have loved to have been
able to do this or been involved
in something like this when I
was a teenager.
They don't realize how lucky
they are.
They get to use some of the most
amazing equipment.
>> In booth 1, we have the
Lincoln, and that came directly
from Electric Boat.
That's what they use right now
at Electric Boat.
We can go into Electric Boat now
and go work there.
>> I work in Department 912.
I'm a structural welder down
here at Electric Boat.
I want to make it a career for
my whole life but definitely not
something I thought I would be
doing.
Elementary school, I always
wanted to go into the
coast guard or the
fire department.
My first two years in high
school, I took all of my
electives that I know I needed
to get done, so my junior or
senior year, 'cause I was in the
class for three periods of the
day, so half the day, I was
doing all hands-on stuff,
and the other half of the day,
I was doing schoolwork.
>> We're starting the
Columbia-class submarine soon,
so we're doing lots of building
down in Quonset.
Lots of buildings being put up,
lots of jobs are gonna be
opening, so, yes, we need
people.
>> Among the many industries
seeking more talent, the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
reports that the healthcare
sector is projected to add more
jobs at a much faster rate than
all other occupations.
This is mainly due to an aging
population creating greater
demand for healthcare services.
In this segment on
"Journey to Jobs," we travel to
Denver, Colorado, and meet a
young mother who attended the
Colorado Area Health Education
Center, or AHEC, to gain the
certification and skills she
needed to enter this burgeoning
industry.
♪♪
>> My original plan before I got
pregnant was to travel the
world.
I didn't want to go to college.
I didn't want to, you know --
I just wanted to be free from
school.
>> The type of students I
usually work with are
underserved youths, primarily
16-to-24-year-olds --
really, those students who don't
have the same opportunities that
other students in their school
districts or communities might
have.
>> Where do I start?
You know, I'm a young mom, so I
just stayed home and was just --
I fell into depression.
"Where do I get my CNA?
Who's gonna support me?"
type of thing.
>> My program is called the
Health Careers
Pre-Apprenticeship Program, and
it's really a career-exploration
program.
A lot of my students come in.
They're interested in
healthcare, but the only jobs
that they're really aware of are
nurses, CNAs, and doctors, and
healthcare is a vast field, vast
industry, to work in, and I
really try to expose them to all
the opportunities that are
available.
>> We learn medical assisting.
We learned about the anatomy.
We've been to the cadaver lab --
just a lot of variety of
different places in healthcare.
>> Our mission can really be
summed up in three different
phrases -- so, connecting
students to careers,
professionals to communities,
and communities to better
health.
>> Finding consistency and,
like, a stable job and a
schedule to fit my daughter's
needs was really one of my big
concerns, and I knew that in
healthcare, I could find that.
And in AHEC, I learned so many
different jobs, you know?
I could be a medical secretary.
I could be a CNA.
I could be an RN, LPN, doctor,
even research.
So, I knew that there were so
many different varieties, so
many different schedules.
>> We want healthcare providers
to look and be from the
communities that they're
serving, so that's our main
goal, is to have those primary
physicians and CNAs and nurses
all of those auxiliary
occupations to look and feel
like the communities that they
serve.
>> After I finished AHEC, it was
really easy because a lot of,
like, nursing homes or even
hospitals I didn't even know you
could get jobs with your BLS,
which is Basic Life Support.
Haley had told me about a job
fair, and I went to it, and they
didn't have a position that I
wanted to do, which was
patient-care technician.
You had to have your CNE.
But they were like,
"Hey, you have your BLS?"
"Yes, I do."
"Okay. Well, we have this job
we're trying to get finalized.
It's monitoring patients behind
the screen.
Would you like to go shadow
somebody?"
"Yeah, of course."
Took me back, shadowed what I
would be doing, and I had a
panel interview after that,
and I got the job.
It's such a great opportunity to
learn.
Like, if you don't know what you
want to be in the healthcare
field, this is the program to be
at.
>> As we've seen, job seekers
can benefit from direct contact
to potential employers in the
industry of their choosing.
In Pennsylvania, for example,
Erie High School's co-op program
is making real-world job skills
part of a high-school education.
Next we see the program
in action.
>> The co-op program is very
important to Erie's community
and to WQLN because one of our
main goals in our mission is to
educate, and this is, you know,
getting in from the ground
floor, educating students before
they head off to college, kind
of helping them decide what kind
of career path they may want to
take.
>> Well, I've always been kind
of interested in, like,
engineering -- just, like, the
broad aspect of it -- so
freshman year, I went into
pre-engineering, and I've been
in the shop ever since.
>> The student has to work
15 hours a week at a placement,
and then, also, they have to
make minimum wage.
It kind of creates a path, and I
think that's how students today
will actually learn and go into
a different path that they're
related to.
Whether it be work, whether it
be college, whether it be
military, they go into a path
that is related to that specific
area that they decide
to go into.
>> It's a good start to
mentoring and get them where
they need to be and showing them
accountability and some respect
and that kind of thing.
>> Finding employment after
military service can sometimes
be a challenge.
In Louisiana, NextOp is working
with veterans to change that.
The organization supports
veterans in their search for
employment by matching their
skills to the industries that
need the most.
Here's one success story.
>> I served 20 years in the
United States Army.
I spent the first 10 years as a
mechanized infantryman, and then
I transferred over and was in
logistical operations and
support operations for the last
10 years of my career.
It's very stressful searching
for work, 'cause, unlike
civilians, you have a
termination date.
As a civilian, you can
constantly seek other employment
while you currently have a job.
Knowing when you're gonna not
have a job anymore is difficult
in that you want to plan and be
able to transition into
something immediately upon
retirement, but companies don't
hire people six months out.
>> NextOp is the only veteran
employment and recruitment
nonprofit operating in Louisiana
and across the Gulf Coast.
Specifically, construction,
manufacturing, and energy are
the sectors that we're
interested in working with.
Since arriving in Louisiana in
late 2017, we've put over 100
veterans in careers in
Louisiana.
Our average placement timeframe
from registration with NextOp
until you find a career is about
32 days, and our average salary
is $55,000 and above.
And in the State of Louisiana,
that's a fairly aggressive
salary to start off with once
leaving service.
>> Transition's difficult in
that you are used to a very
certain culture and an entire
lexicon and language that is not
shared.
>> You've been institutionalized
to a way of language, to
acronyms, to an understanding of
how to talk about "we" and not
"me," so you've got to kind of
demilitarize not only the
veteran on paper but the
veteran's personality.
>> One of the hardest things for
veterans to do is to get the
interview, and NextOp Vets was
instrumental in their contact
with potential employers to help
people like me get in front of
people and tell them how I can
help their business.
>> We are a very strong veteran
team, people that have both
experience in industry and in
the veteran experience, so we
act as a great connector between
these two populations, whether
it be talking to employers about
how they can access or why they
should access the
military-veteran talent
population.
>> Finding employment with
L3 ASV through NextOp Vets was
instrumental in my family's
ability to transition
successfully and with as little
stress as possible.
>> If you have the right
attitude, you can pick up the
skills and learn the rest of it,
right?
You're already halfway there.
Morgan has the right attitude,
right?
He comes out wanting to work,
being here on time, picking up
the slack, seeing where problems
are, and trying to solve them.
>> You spend a lot of time
trying to plan these moves and
trying to make sure that your
family doesn't lose any quality
of life, and I was able to find
gainful employment with a great
organization immediately upon my
retirement from the service and
had no gap in my earnings or my
quality of life.
Therefore, my family didn't have
to suffer, didn't go through any
hardship during the transition.
>> Veterans and students alike
are pursuing another kind of
high-demand, skilled career --
becoming a pilot.
The Federal Aviation
Administration is forecasting a
pilot shortage for regional
airlines, and LIFT Academy in
Indianapolis, Indiana, is trying
to get ahead of it.
With the help of
Republic Airways, this school is
teaching its students how to fly
planes and operate cutting-edge
technology.
The program gives new
opportunities to many who
thought an aviation career was
only a dream.
[ Indistinct radio chatter ]
>> LIFT Academy is a flight
school located here in
Indianapolis, Indiana, and we
are training pilots from zero
experience straight into a
career at the airlines.
♪♪
Our pilots have a guaranteed job
at Republic Airways as a first
officer, and they can start
their career from zero
experience and have a career in
flight.
>> It's everything that I wanted
to do, 'cause, you know, flying
was so expensive, doing it out
of pocket.
The lesson plans are there, the
cost is there, guaranteed job.
You can't beat that.
>> My hands hurt.
>> Students can be right out of
high school, or they can be
career changers.
We even have quite a few
students who transition from
military.
>> I started in the Air Force
April 27th of 2010.
One of the commanders from the
72nd ARS came over to me from
Grissom and said, "Hey, what you
doing with this medical thing?
You want to be a pilot?"
I started to look into the
possibility of becoming a boom
operator and then applying for
an age waiver to be an Air Force
pilot.
"Sure, I'll put gas in planes
and lay on my belly."
The Air Force has treated me
well, but I've come to the point
now where being deployed is not
really a good deal for my
family.
Kind of putting my family first
and my adventures first and just
thanking the Air Force for
giving me the propulsion.
>> My name's Mike.
I spent 22 years in investment
banking and then decided to
become a pilot.
At age 44, this is embarking on
a second career, where I look
around and a lot of the students
are either fresh out of college
or what have you.
And, hopefully, I bring a little
bit of a different background
and different experience that
can be additive, and I really
look at my role, as well, to be
a mentor to some of these
younger folks, as well.
>> It's pretty hard.
There's a lot of licenses to get
and a lot of studying, for sure.
>> The simulator is basically a
plane, except you aren't
in the air.
The technology is brand-new.
They actually put it together as
if they would a real airplane,
but they just don't put an
engine in it.
>> Just hop in there and
basically do whatever you don't
feel so sure on.
You can just get in there and
just practice it and keep on
practicing the procedures.
>> Nice. Good job.
>> Every business leader,
regardless of what industry
you're in, is focused on
workforce development.
There's a major talent crunch
over the next two decades.
>> I started pulling up more and
did some calculations.
>> That talent crunch is gonna
leave us with a gap of about
8 million employees for skilled
manufacturing and skilled
technician jobs over the next
decade and a half.
That's a real issue, and we need
to do more as business leaders.
LIFT Academy was designed just
with that purpose.
>> The pilot shortage isn't just
focused here in Indianapolis.
It's global.
It's a global issue, and we're
trying to solve that here on the
local level to hopefully have
impact on at least the national
level if not worldwide.
So right now there's a lot of
opportunity to build a new,
diverse cockpit and bring people
who may not have thought of it
as a career before as an option
for them.
>> One thing that I like to tell
young girls and women is,
"Don't be afraid to do it."
It is a male-dominated career,
but don't let that intimidate
you because we are trying to
change that.
>> You know, aviation is the
great equalizer, I think.
I think regardless of what your
background is, whether you have
a high-school education or a
college education or graduate
school or what have you, or, in
my case, regardless of what your
previous career was, I think
there's a path for everyone here
to the extent that you have a
passion for this type of
industry.
>> Follow your dreams because,
honestly, I was just in high
school, like, this year, and now
I'm flying airplanes every
single day.
>> For some youth, the journey
to jobs includes a two-prong
approach -- learning a skill
while completing their
education.
In El Paso, Texas, two programs,
YouthBuild and
Workforce Solutions Borderplex,
provide young talent the
opportunity to obtain
construction certification while
also completing their GED.
Here's a look.
>> So, El Paso is really growing
right now.
Our unemployment rate
is very low.
It hovers around 4% or even a
little bit lower at times.
We have about $1 billion worth
of highway construction going on
right now, and that's taken a
lot, I think, of the skilled
labor in the industry.
>> In a recent survey of
hundreds of site selectors and
companies that are looking to
expand or relocate, when asked
what the number-one
consideration is when they look
at a community in which to
expand or relocate, it is
workforce -- an available
trained or trainable workforce.
The things that
Workforce Solutions Borderplex
are doing is absolutely
phenomenal in getting our young
adults trained for skills that
are relevant in our particular
marketplace and jobs.
>> One day I was just looking
for work, and they told me about
Workforce.
They called me and they told me
if I'm interested in doing
construction.
I was like, "What? Construction?
Should I?"
I'm the very first girl to work
for High Ridge, so, yeah,
it feels good.
>> A lot of these kids just need
someone to believe in them.
When someone believes in them,
they start to believe in
themselves.
In 17 weeks, they will be
getting introductions into
construction, like digging for
pipes, laying pipes,
construction math, preparing the
house from the foundation all
the way up.
In addition to that, on Fridays,
they were working to achieve
their GED.
>> I am a plumber's helper.
That's what they call "chelan."
I'm learning.
It feels good to know that I
actually know how to put a water
heater in or a sink.
>> Having that opportunity to
get hands on and really
experience and be able to walk
away from something and see the
final product is something that
they're proud of.
When it's finished, they can
say, "Hey, look.
I was a part of that."
And that's powerful.
>> Whether it's teaching our
young people soft skills,
teaching them how to interview,
teaching them how to dress, all
the way to getting the relevant
skills, whether it's
construction, whether it's
business services, whether it's
logistics, they do a phenomenal
job, and that puts our
community, that puts our region,
in a much more competitive stand
in terms of trying to get these
jobs to come to our region and
retaining jobs, as well.
>> El Paso's beautiful, and our
young people are amazing and
talented, and we have a
treasure, and that's what we're
doing.
We're developing that treasure.
♪♪
>> Young people can also pursue
high-demand, skilled careers in
a university setting.
For example, in this next
"Journey to Jobs" segment,
we learn how universities in
Nashville, Tennessee, are laying
the groundwork for a diverse
skilled workforce in the
geosciences through a project
called Earth Horizons.
♪♪
>> Put it all the way down, and
then I'll try it.
>> I am studying the water that
will go into the drinking water
that Nashville does use, and I
never thought that I would be
doing that.
It's just something that people
of my background normally
don't do.
I am in love with conservation
and sustainability.
It wasn't until I came to
Tennessee State University this
semester that I even considered
geosciences, because in my mind,
it was all oil and gas.
So knowing that there are more
options now is helping me kind
of map out what I might want
to do.
>> It's so cold right now.
>> Yeah.
>> So, the way we explain the
geosciences to students is to
say, "You can work for the
National Park Service.
You can be a park ranger.
You can work for the
Forest Service.
You can work for NOAA and study
weather -- weather and weather
patterns."
So there's many different places
that you can work and careers
you can do within the
geosciences.
>> So, the program's called
Earth Horizons, and it's a
National Science
Foundation-funded project that
is aiming to create a
collaboration between
Vanderbilt University and TSU
specifically to create a
geoscience pathway where one did
not exist before.
>> The East Pacific is right
here.
>> TSU had a history of
preparing students for the
workforce.
I knew that Vanderbilt had a
strong earth and environmental
science program and they
offered courses in things that
we didn't provide here, so,
naturally, they're 3 miles away.
If we can form this relationship
to increase the number of
students, especially minority
students, pursuing the geo- or
environmental sciences, it was
the perfect partnership waiting
to happen.
>> The idea of having a
partnership with an HBCU is not
unique in itself, but the idea
that it's focused on geoscience
pathways is very unique.
>> There's more light blue
space.
The lighter blue it is, the
closer it is to zero down here
on the margin.
>> In the Earth Horizons
program, I'm teaching the entry
point into the program, which is
an introductory geosciences
course here at TSU.
We're in the third week of the
class, and the students are
learning about plate tectonics.
So, pull your maps out.
It was really exciting because
it's hard and they were kind of
frustrated at first and confused
and asked lots of questions, but
by the time we got to the end of
that second piece, they really
felt empowered.
>> They're usually higher
magnitude.
>> Yeah!
We did come into this with our
eyes open about the fact that
we're bringing two different
cultures together --
academic cultures, social
cultures, groups that don't know
each other well.
As we started thinking about TSU
students coming to Vanderbilt
courses and Vanderbilt students
coming to courses here at TSU,
we wanted to make sure that we
were very thoughtful in
providing, in both cases, the
richest possible experience.
[ Indistinct conversations ]
♪♪
>> I think that it's important
for people of color to be in the
geosciences because our
communities are affected by
them -- things like water crisis
and overall bad health that if
we are unaware and if we do not
know what is happening in those
communities or don't have a hand
in it, then they will continue
to happen and we won't have any
control over it.
>> There we go.
>> Yeah.
>> I feel like you have to
completely understand the world
that you live in.
You need the geology, you need
the environmental sciences in
order to completely wrap your
mind around solving any problem,
and I feel like I just --
I love the idea of solving a
problem one day, so I want that
to be my legacy.
>> Alright.
>> For those whose path does not
include college, imagine having
the chance to learn a new
technical skill from scratch at
no cost.
On our next stop, we visit
Miami, Florida, where a
nonprofit organization called
LaunchCode provides free
computer-programming courses
with hands-on job training.
Here's how.
>> LaunchCode's a nonprofit, and
our mission is to help people
from diverse backgrounds start
careers in technology.
We do that by providing free
coding education and then
working with those individuals
who go through our programs and
with employers to place those
individuals into
software-development
apprenticeships.
Our normal class runs for
20 weeks part-time.
That's the boot-camp program.
We call it LC101.
>> Details as to where in your
code the exception occurs.
>> We have a particular emphasis
on giving access to people
coming from underrepresented
background in terms of those
underrepresented in technology
employment.
>> I think LaunchCode is such a
blessing because I looked at
other programs, and the cost was
like $10,000, and there was no
way that I could afford that.
So I was very excited there was
gonna be a session starting
soon.
>> When someone finishes those
first 20 weeks, some students
we'll be able to place them into
an apprenticeship with our
employer partners, and then, for
some students, they'll continue
to work to hone both their
technical and their soft skills,
and we support them through that
process as they're building out
their interviewing skills,
building out a portfolio of work
that they can use to demo to
employers.
>> That's why I'm taking
LaunchCode -- to get me prepared
for those interviews and jobs.
After LaunchCode, I'm thinking
about getting a job, my first
job programming.
My goal is to be an application
developer.
>> My name is
Lasaly Changkachith, and I am
the Customer Success Associate
here at Watsco, Inc., for the
Mobile Apps Development team.
Primarily, I am helping the
Mobile Apps Development team
test the app as well as
evaluating the developers' code
and testing the software to make
sure that it's working, and then
I will let the developers know
or my project lead know
what the issues are.
>> Lasaly did one of our classes
over a year ago now, and she
just has a magnetic personality
from the moment you meet her.
Her background prior to taking a
LaunchCode class was that she
was in the medical field.
She decided that, ultimately,
she was more curious about the
technology world, and not only
did she excel, she was the kind
of person who always looked to
support those who were around
her in the class.
So, when we were looking at who
to match to this particular
opportunity we had with Watsco,
it's a role that sort of
interfaces between developers
and clients, and we knew that
Lasaly had sort of the right
blend of technical and people
skills to just knock it out of
the park with that role.
>> Watsco has hired me
full-time, so I have been
matriculated out of the
apprentice program.
I think continuing my education,
continuing to develop and to
grow, was motivated by my
children because I wanted them
to see that.
A value that we have as a family
is, like, continue to grow in
some form or another.
>> We have as much or more
success with programs like
LaunchCode as we do through
working with traditional
recruiting firms.
>> Employers are more and more
willing to hire based on
portfolios and showing what you
know rather than having a piece
of paper that says,
"I did course X," and so in that
20-week time span, it might be
hard to believe, but you can
acquire the foundational skills
that will enable you to go into
a work environment and learn on
the job and, in a relatively
short amount of time, become a
productive member of a
software-development team.
The students who graduate our
program and get placed into the
jobs with our employer partners
make an average salary of around
$50,000 a year, so, effectively,
they're 3x'ing their salary,
in some cases.
>> LaunchCode provided me with
the ability to be able to speak
the tech language as well as the
knowledge to look at the code
that I am presented and to be
able to take that information
and be able to communicate with
my team members.
If I didn't have that skill,
I don't think that I would be
here.
>> Training programs can equip
workers with a host of skills
that open doors to high-demand
careers, but for some,
skill-building is only one part
of a journey to employment.
In this next part of our
"American Graduate: Getting to
Work" special report, we see how
dedicated individuals are
supporting fellow community
members on their journey to
jobs.
Today a couple in Tucson,
Arizona, are successful business
owners, but they didn't start
out that way.
After struggling with substance
abuse and serving time in
prison, the couple created a new
beginning by starting their own
cleaning business.
Now they're helping others with
similar challenges gain
employment and job skills.
Here's the story.
♪♪
>> This bridge here is actually
an underpass underneath I-19,
and this is where I lived for a
few years of my life.
Being strung out on heroin and
cocaine, intravenously, I was
using about $250 a day.
When I was in prison, I really
thought about the people that I
had hurt and the damage that I
had caused, so I made the
decision that, when I got out, I
wouldn't commit any more
felonies.
It was the best I could do at
that time, you know --
no more felonies.
Misdemeanors are okay, but no
more felonies.
I got a job as a janitor.
It wasn't my life's goal to be a
janitor, but that was my
starting point.
>> In 2006, I was released from
prison.
I went to a treatment center in
Tucson, Arizona, and, at that
point, shortly after you get
there, you go on job search.
♪♪
From the time that I started
looking for employment when I
got out of prison to the time
that I got a job, I'd probably
say about 50 applications, and
that's not including the cold
calls -- "Hey, are you hiring?"
You know?
And it's just daunting.
I was about two years in
recovery, he was about a year in
recovery, and we met going to a
faith-based recovery meeting.
We got married in January of
2010, and it's been --
Like, you bring your stuff into
your marriage, but when you live
those types of lifestyles, you
bring a lot of stuff.
[ Chuckles ]
>> So, you're done in there?
>> Yeah.
>> Jennifer and I purchased
TrueCore Cleaning in October of
2016.
I actually signed for the
purchase of the company on my
10-years-sober anniversary on
that day I put the pen to paper,
which is a tremendous testimony.
We purchased TrueCore Cleaning
for a couple of reasons.
One, we wanted to be able to do
our nonprofit work for free.
Number two is we wanted to have
the opportunity to provide
opportunities for other people.
>> I appreciate my second
chance.
And I'm not gonna take it for
granted, 'cause when I was in
prison, I thought, like, you
know, like all the stuff I've
done, so for me to have a second
chance is -- is a blessing.
>> It's just surreal.
This is where I'm at.
This what we do.
This is who we are.
And it took us awhile to get
there.
I tell people all the time --
I'm really honest --
like, this is -- this is
difficult, but it's doable.
>> I have compassion for people/
I have love for people.
But I don't do well with
excuses.
I crawled out from under a
bridge, and it took a lot of
hard work, a lot of pain, a lot
of tears.
So just stay focused on your
goals and drive towards them no
matter what society tells you.
>> Students at
Tascosa High School in Amarillo,
Texas, have created a program to
end weekend hunger for teens in
their community.
As leaders of the program,
they're learning valuable job
skills.
Let's take a look.
♪♪
>> I'm a co-sponsor of
FISH Club, which is
a student organization,
and that stands for
Friends in Service for Hunger.
The founder and leader of
Snack Pak 4 Kids made contact
with us and said, "You know,
I've got another idea for you."
>> They kind of look at me,
and I said, "There's hungry
students on your campus.
You have friends that are hungry
at your high school."
So then I met with them one
spring, and I said, "Hey, how do
we create a solution on your
campus that you run, kids have
their dignity and respect
maintained, they are anonymous,
yet we give first-rate, quality
food, quality service to our
students, and how do we create a
model that can be replicated?"
A student in middle school or
high school goes online, orders
from a menu of 37 items.
They get a custom bag, and it's
delivered to their favorite
teacher, coach, staff member on
that campus with nothing but
their student ID on that bag.
>> One team packs the bags
and the orders.
We just have a piece of paper,
and we follow the order and put
everything into the bag, and on
Thursday, we deliver them, and
then the mini-groups can come in
here, and they just grab all the
bags for their hallway and
deliver it to the teacher's name
that it says on the label.
>> Tascosa is the biggest school
in Amarillo and the biggest
school in the panhandle,
for that matter.
We are over 2,300 students at
this time.
We are a very diverse school,
and we're economically diverse,
probably from the poorest to the
richest, and then we are very
multicultural on our campus.
When they go to college and they
have opportunity for service
projects or when they get their
jobs later on life, they will
know these type of things are
available, and they can help.
But it just gives them a spirit
of service.
>> These kids count on us.
They count on us to be able to
eat on the weekends, and while
we don't know the specific
individual, it could be somebody
we sit next to in math class or
walk down the hall with, but we
know how much it means to them,
and these teachers tell us
continuously how grateful they
are, because they know that
student and know just how
important it is.
>> Who better to solve a problem
on a high-school campus than
high-school students?
What we've done, and I think
this is important, is we've
taken our knowledge and our
mistakes and our success from
here, and we have created a
manual.
These students here at Tascosa
have written a manual that is
now copyrighted and trademarked.
>> We're developing leaders.
The students who are running
this program and making
decisions and problem-solving
when things come up and working
with each other, with people
they know or don't know,
they are really developing
some skills.
>> In Tacoma, Washington,
the Pierce County Library System
has established itself as a
valuable resource for job
seekers and business owners
alike.
We go inside one library for the
story.
♪♪
>> I think one of the most
important and magical things
about the library is the support
that a library can give to you,
whether you're a student needing
to do research or it's summer
break and you need a book to
read or you're wanting to take
an adventure and become your own
boss.
The Job + Business Center is one
of those services that we've
designed specifically to meet a
key need that was identified in
Pierce County.
>> With the advent of the
Internet, we no longer needed to
have lots of books for
"reference."
We could go online and find the
information.
So we needed to kind of
transition from being a
reference department into
something else, and, at the same
time, we saw that there was a
huge increase in the number of
jobs seekers.
JBC, or Job + Business Centers,
is both a physical and virtual
space.
At six of our big branches,
we have dedicated space
with computers, with printers,
and staff that can help
businesses and job seekers.
We're not business experts.
We have no expertise in
business.
We are information experts that
have dedicated databases that we
have purchased and software and
things of that nature that
anyone who is starting a
business or wants to get a job
would need.
You can actually go and look at
an existing business plan.
Let's say you want to open a
restaurant.
And you can see what the
business plan for a restaurant
looks like, and that gives you
some sort of a template.
But then you need to find out
information about who your
customers are.
We can help you using a tool
called Demographics Now, which
is one of our databases.
Actually find out who your
customers are in the area that
you're interested in opening
your business.
The virtual space has become so
important.
The aim was to make it so
that the patrons can use the
database themselves rather than
somebody to interpret all that
information for them.
You can buy those reports,
by the way.
If you go online, they might
sell it to you for $240,
but it's free at the library.
>> Knowing who exists in the
county, who's doing services
that support business, is
probably the key for the
library.
We know who they are so that we
can then use that information to
say, "We've showed you and
shared with you the resources
available through the library,
and here's the connection to
take you to the next step."
>> Spaceworks is a small
nonprofit that works with
artists and entrepreneurs.
We bring in experts from the
Pierce County Library to talk
about market research and all of
the resources and the databases
that are out there that
entrepreneurs can use to do
their market research.
The value of the information is
priceless.
Having that data behind your
business plan really informs
where you're gonna go to
efficiently make money.
We forget that the library's
resource for adults as well as
kids, and being able to walk in
as a small-business owner and
actually have somebody sit down
and talk with you about your
business and how to do research
and how to actually make smart
decisions as a business owner
for free is absolutely
fantastic.
>> In this part of our "American
Graduate: Getting to Work"
special report, we see how
organizations can support those
facing challenges on their
journey to jobs.
Transitioning into the
professional world can be a
daunting experience for any
teenager but even more so for
foster youth that have aged out
of the foster-care system.
National reports show that
emancipated foster youth can
have a harder time finding and
keeping employment than their
peers.
This is a problem that
The RightWay Foundation in
Los Angeles, California,
is tackling head on.
Here's the story.
♪♪
>> When we first started giving
our jobs to foster-care youth,
we noticed right away that they
were getting fired quicker than
they were getting hired, and it
wasn't no fault of their own.
It was homelessness and then
depression.
So then I took a step back and
said, "Well, it's not just job
readiness we need.
We need more mental-health
services."
>> We are exposed to a lot of
trauma, a lot of --
There's a lot of PTSD-ish stuff
going on.
We're more sensitive than most.
>> So then I made a transition
to hire a lot of mental-health
persons to provide therapy while
we're doing the job-readiness
training, so I merged the two,
and so when you say,
"Job development," it's really
therapy and job development, and
we came up with that concept,
and we called it
Operation Emancipation.
>> The Operation Emancipation
program is a program that helps
you -- basically teaches you
soft skills and hard skills to
work in a professional
environment, so they always want
to make sure that we're mentally
ready for any pressure that
might be put upon us.
>> Emancipated foster youth is
youth that has aged out of the
foster-care system,
hopefully 21 years old.
Sometimes they can age out of
the system at 18, depending if
they want to volunteer and stay
in the system.
>> Franco and
The RightWay Foundation first
find youth that they feel would
be suitable for, one, passing a
background check, but be great
team members.
We're looking for hospitality
experience, so once they go
through the program with Franco,
they come and interview with us,
and then they're hired.
>> I'm excited about the
financial opportunity LAX is
gonna give me, like, just by
having this full-time job.
>> RightWay Foundation took it a
step further about four years
ago that created trauma-informed
workplace mentoring.
That's where we teach the
companies how to work with our
population, how to deal with our
youth, and to really become
active and get involved and to
play a mentorship role.
>> Some of the challenges is
really training our managers on
the background of some of the
youth that are in the
foster-care system and the
trauma that they've experienced.
>> They're very open to taking
the training because it's
something that not only helps
them kind of understand the
experiences of the youth that we
serve but also for all their
other employees, and what it
covers is just sort of like the
basics of trauma, kind of what
trauma looks like, you know,
noting individual differences.
And then we talk more about the
kind of crux of it is really
sort of building relationships,
because that's really the
foundation of what we do here,
is, you know, everything has its
foundation in building a
relationship, with building
rapport, building trust, and
that's a lot of what we cover in
that trauma-informed training.
It's really how to do that.
>> I think the biggest key is
knowing the background and
trauma that some of the youth
have experienced and feeling a
level of empathy and being able
to articulate and communicate
properly with the team members.
Often, messages are lost just on
how they're said.
It's not what you're saying,
it's how you're saying it.
And so the training is really
gonna inform them of that so
that they can be more cognizant
and conscious of it when
coaching and training those
team members.
>> I think one of my goals for
after completing the program
would be to start my own
nonprofit, start my own kind of
business, you know, in helping
people, especially Latina
mothers in the community.
This is the best place to get
your mind right, to get your
money right, to get yourself
right, to get your person right.
>> And when you feel that
overwhelmed and you feel like
breaking down, that's because
something great is right around
the corner.
>> We're improving the local
neighborhood and local community
by supporting foster youth, and
I think this is a great program
that we're looking to hopefully
expand across the country and
support our operations in other
cities.
>> Next we go to Springfield,
Missouri, where a local
organization called the
Arc of the Ozarks is matching
individuals with disabilities to
employment opportunities that
fit their skills.
♪♪
>> One of our biggest weaknesses
in the State of Missouri is
getting people with disabilities
employed, and I'm a firm
believer that helping someone
with a disability find
employment is paramount to their
success.
>> The mission of the
Arc of the Ozarks is to support
individuals with disabilities
and directing their own lives as
valued members of the community.
We give our individuals
self-directed services, so it's
all about choice, how they want
to live their life, and then we
develop a support plan around
that to make sure they reach all
of their goals and aspirations
that they have in their life.
So, if an individual comes to us
and they say, "I want to work,"
we start from the beginning and
we work with them through the
end on how to find a job, making
sure it's the right job match.
We look at their skills, their
abilities, their desires to
work, and we find an employer in
the community that matches
that job.
>> Not only is he the best
worker we got, he's the best
person we got in the building
right here -- Joe Quinn.
>> Joe had several jobs
throughout the years, none of
which really stuck, so when we
met with Hy-Vee and started
talking to them about Joe, we
really led in with his skills
and abilities.
He is the most friendly guy
ever.
He always has a smile on his
face.
He's always just ready to talk
to people and ready to help
people.
So, he is one of their
customer-service clerks out
there.
He helps bag the groceries.
He helps get carts.
He helps customers in and out
with their groceries, and people
just love going in and seeing
Joe, seeing the smile on his
face.
It really makes people's day.
>> I first met him in our
Community Connections
department.
We were able to support Joe in
going to his volunteer sites,
learning how to use the bus
system.
>> So, I take the city bus a
lot.
That's how I get around and
stuff.
When I first worked here, I was
trying to meet, like, more
people here at work, and so I
was trying to communicate with
other people.
>> If they're employed for a
year or 20 years,
Employment Solutions is always
here to support them.
So, at any time, they can call
us and say, you know,
"Something's changed at work.
I got a new manager" or
"I'm learning a new task."
And we'll go back out there and
support them with that.
It's a very fulfilling thing
when you see them realize their
worth and how good they're gonna
do at this job, and they know
they have a team behind them,
supporting them and cheering
them on.
It really gives them a lot of
self-value, self-worth,
self-esteem, as well.
>> You, too.
Bye.
>> Finally, a bakery in
Syracuse, New York, is also in
the business of empowering
people on their journey to jobs.
Provisions Bakery hires
individuals affected by mental
illness, immersing them in a
positive and supportive
environment to gain the skills
needed to secure and maintain
competitive employment.
♪♪
>> People who come to Provisions
sometimes are dealing with not
only mental disabilities but
also physical disabilities
in ways.
Some have worked before.
Some have never had a job before
in their life.
And Provisions is just a way to
teach them skills and let them
go into the real world with
those skills.
>> Provisions Bakery is an
employment program of
AccessCNY.
AccessCNY is a nonprofit
organization that's focused on
helping people with disabilities
achieve independence.
The bakery is operated by five
full-time AccessCNY staff who
support 20 to 25 individuals who
are in mental-health recovery.
>> I was diagnosed with
obsessive-compulsive disorder,
OCD, in 2002.
What really was difficult for me
in gaining and keeping
employment was the anxiety that
I would have over certain things
that happened, and a lot of it
was my own perception of things
more than what the reality of
the situation was.
>> Provisions is more than just
teaching job skills.
It's about teaching life skills.
For instance, for our staff, if
they are not in a great place in
their recovery and they're
having a bad day, they try to
call in in the morning.
Well, we don't have an answering
machine for them to tell us
they're not gonna be at work
that day.
They need to talk to someone.
We need them to talk through
that moment.
If there's issues with
transportation, we help staff
navigate those, as well.
All those barriers to
employment, which sometimes are
put up by the community but
sometimes are put up by the
individuals themselves --
it's our job to teach them those
life skills in addition to the
job skills that we teach them
within the bakery.
>> Go ahead and clean up.
I'm gonna run these out front,
okay?
Thank you for doing them.
They look very nice.
>> All the managers here really
work with you, really take the
time to sit down and talk to you
about what you're going through.
I just felt like this was my
safe place, that I was
comfortable here.
>> Our relationship's just like
any other employee.
You got it?
Yes, we are staff.
We're more like the manager.
But we're still bakers working
together, working to make a loaf
of bread or a batch of cookies.
Like, we're a team, because we
are there for them, and we want
to help them be the best that
they can be.
>> I've been given many, many
chances here.
I have had to take time off.
I actually left for a whole
entire year.
My manager, Susan --
for the whole entire year, I
called her every single Friday.
She wanted to know how I was
doing, what was going on, and
when we both felt like I was in
a place to come back, like,
I came back, and I just think
that really shows, like,
how much they care.
>> At Provisions, our goal is
always to have someone with us
for a period of maybe a year and
a half to two years, but the
goal -- and the trainees know
this when they come in -- is to
look to the future.
What comes after this?
You're here now.
Let's teach you the things we
can teach you, but we want to
move you to a more permanent
employment, and that's what
Provisions is all about.
>> About a year ago, I started
as a peer support specialist
with the Berkana Respite House
in Eastwood.
For the first six months or so,
I worked as one of those
peer-support specialists, and
then I was promoted to assistant
manager at the Berkana House.
And I've done that right up to
the present, and, again, it's
been really a good challenge
for me.
I think it's been really a great
fit for what I'm looking for.
>> You know, for a lot of the
people that we serve, when you
walk in to Provisions and you
become employed there, people
are oftentimes at the lowest
point of their life, and they
feel like they don't know where
they're going or what help is
available to them.
By working at Provisions, we can
teach them the skills but also
help them build confidence in
themselves so they can leave
Provisions and be more
successful within their own
life.
>> I have heard that over the
years, since they opened up in
the 1980s, there's been about
1,000 people that have worked
here.
It's just fulfilled everything
that they hoped it would be when
they opened it.
>> So, as Provisions moved
forward, our hope is to knock
down the stigma of mental health
and help people get back to
work.
>> I think when I first started
working here, I was ashamed of
my diagnosis.
I just felt misunderstood.
I feel at this point in my life
like I'm not ashamed
of who I am.
I don't label myself as just
bipolar.
It's just something that I have,
and, like, this place has helped
sculpt me into the person
I am today.
I'm proud of the person that I
am today.
[ Bell dings ]
>> The journey to jobs can be
different for everyone, and, as
we've seen, no matter the path
taken, success can depend upon
dedicated individuals and
organizations.
They support and nurture
job seekers and equip them with
essential skills to open doors
to new opportunities and
fulfilling and prosperous
careers.
I'm Hari Sreenivasan.
Thanks for watching.
♪♪
"Journey to Jobs: A Special
Report" is part of "American
Graduate: Getting to Work,"
a public-media initiative,
made possible by...
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