Congrats New Grads!

Our WIOA participants all have unique paths, but each of these young men also have something in common: they have all just earned degrees and are excited for the future!

Cory joined WIOA last summer. He explored several career paths with his Career Services Specialist Allison, before setting out to earn his CDL at Midwest Truck Driving School and a certification at North Country Heavy Equipment in Escanaba, Michigan. His passion for the jobs overcame his nerves about returning to school, while WIOA gave him the opportunity to attend both courses within a 7-week period. He has been offered a full-time position starting this spring!

Auston joined WIOA last November and is proud to be holding his GED from NWTC-Marinette! He says that earning his diploma has opened career options that he can’t wait to explore. He’s already started looking at ways to further increase his skills with his WIOA team, with a keen interest in electrical systems.

Austin was also excited to explore career paths as soon as he earned his GED. He’s talked with us about his passion for Information Technology and he’ll be starting job-shadowing in that field to get a deeper understanding for it this spring. Austin will be in good company when he starts classes at NWTC-Marinette this fall.

Meanwhile, Kile just started working as a welder at a local shipyard after earning his technical degree from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC). Kile was determined to earn a diploma, but tight funds were forcing him to choose between tuition and rent. Allison helped him apply for housing assistance, and before long, he was moving into an apartment of his own. Kile says that he pushed himself harder than ever to succeed to earn a B or better in his classes, to get reimbursement from the program. His mother saw his determination and found enough money to help out during the final semester. Kile is now the first person in his family to graduate with a technical diploma! To top it all off, he has just welcomed a baby girl into the world this February.

Tanner also earned his technical diploma in welding from NWTC-Marinette this December! He has always had a passion for welding. He joined the Youth Options Program, which let him earn college credits while he was still in high school. Eager to get started, Tanner also joined WIOA’s youth program, to make sure he had all the support he needed to move forward with his training as soon as possible. The community networking he did with WIOA paid off right away, and Tanner also found full-time work by the time he graduated. Plus, you might see his artwork decorating your neighbor’s yard – he’s started a side business creating yard ornaments with his new Plasma Cutter.

Congratulations all on a job well done! We can hardly wait to find out where you go from here.