Scarlett O’Neal joined the St. Clair County WIOA Youth Program, hoping to get a second chance at her education. Scarlett struggled with focusing and staying on task throughout her academic career and had no way to manage her ADHD symptoms, and she dropped out by the time she reached 11th grade. Scarlett came into the program with a plan. She first wanted to gain job skills, and most importantly, she tried to remedy her drop-out status and give education another shot by getting her High School Equivalency (formerly known as GED). While her strife with mental health and personal hardships have complicated her journey to success, Scarlett’s end goal is simple: she wants to be a Park Ranger. At the beginning of February 2022, Scarlett began her Paid Work Experience at The Weingarten, a restaurant and event venue in Belleville, IL. Initially, she solely worked on event staff duties, but after just one month, she could move up and work alongside the kitchen staff. This was very exciting for Scarlett as one of her passions is cooking. However, it wasn’t easy to get into kitchen duties. Initially, Scarlett struggled to keep up with the fast-paced environment and perform essential kitchen functions. Staying organized also proved difficult when she showed up to work on a Sunday only to find out she wasn’t scheduled that day. But it has all been a part of the process, and Scarlett proves to herself every day that if she can do better than the day before, she is on track. Scarlett completed her pre-registration steps at Southwestern Illinois College to begin HSE classes in the Fall. She begins classes on August 22nd. Although her story is not over as a WIOA Youth Participant, Scarlett’s consistent and outstanding progress is a testament that every step towards success– no matter how big or small– is an accomplishment.

Boyd had been laid off on May 22, 2020, from his job as a Light Equipment Operator at LSC Communications when the plant closed. He had been scheduled to attend a rapid response meeting at his place of employment, but it was canceled due to the Covid 19 epidemic, so he needed to know his options. In the meantime, Boyd was drawing UI benefits while unsuccessfully searching for employment in his field. At the height of the COVID-19 epidemic, there were no jobs. At this time, Boyd heard about the WIOA program and came to the office to inquire about eligibility for training. Boyd had not graduated high school, but when he learned he could only get a degree by first getting his GED, he decided to do something about that. Boyd returned to the workforce center two months later with GED in hand! More than a year after he was laid off, he found out he was eligible for retraining when the LSC Communications plant closure was deemed a trade-related event. He attended a rapid response online meeting to determine his options and took this opportunity to get his AAS for IT-Network Administration. Boyd enrolled in training to meet his career goals and received an AAS in IT-Network Administration degree from Lake Land College in August 2023. He loved school, which he never thought possible. He is now employed at Eastern Illinois Area of Special Education as an IT Administrator, making $25 an hour, significantly increasing his earning potential due to his participation in training. He received services from the CEFS Economic Opportunity Corporation WIOA/TAA program to pay for Occupational Classroom Training, tuition, books, and travel reimbursement for transportation costs. Boyd says he is so grateful for the opportunity he was given and always thought his whole life was to do factory work. He is now doing a job he loves and has the flexibility to do more than just ‘work’ and achieve a better work/life balance. Boyd now realizes that what at the time seemed devastating turned out to have been a blessing in disguise!

Michael had been laid off on May 24, 2020, from his job as an operator at LSC Communications when the plant closed. He had been scheduled to attend a rapid response meeting at his place of employment, but it was canceled due to the Covid 19 epidemic, so he needed to know his options. In the meantime, Michael found work as a dietary aid in long-term care, but it was not meeting his needs for self-sufficient employment. Michael had his first child on the way and was becoming more concerned about being able to support his growing family. More than a year after he was laid off, he found out he was eligible for retraining when the LSC Communications plant closure was deemed a trade-related event. He attended a rapid response online meeting to determine his options and took this opportunity to get his AAS for IT-Network Administration. Michael enrolled in training to meet his career goals and received an AAS in IT-Network Administration degree from Lake Land College in May 2023. He received services from the CEFS Economic Opportunity Corporation WIOA program to pay for Occupational Classroom Training, tuition, books, and TAA travel reimbursement for transportation costs. He is now employed at Lake Land College as a Technical Support Specialist and has dramatically increased his earning potential due to his participation in training. Michael is grateful for his opportunity for training; without it, he would not have been able to work in a career he loves.