James Lovell is 19 years old and lives in rural Cass County with a family of seven, including four siblings. He met the criteria for a low-income participant when he graduated high school in May 2022. A few months later, he began working part-time at McDonald’s in Beardstown, Illinois, earning $13.00 an hour. With no other formal training and after seeing the quality of care provided to one of his family members, James decided he also wanted to begin pursuing a career in the healthcare field. He chose to start with Basic Nurse Assistant (CNA) training at Midwest Technical Institute (MTI).

Living in Chandlerville, Illinois while MTI is in Springfield, Illinois, James traveled over 88 miles round trip each day back and forth to Springfield for his training. Fortunately, support services with mileage help offset his daily gas expenses to eliminate this barrier.

He finished training with a 92% and passed his state board exam on the first attempt within two weeks of completing his training. On-the-job training options were explored. However, James wasted no time with his job search and began searching for employment opportunities before completing his training.
He began employment as a CNA approximately five weeks after that, working full-time for Heritage Health in Jacksonville, IL. His starting pay rate was $7.00 more per hour than his hourly rate at enrollment.

Jasmin Foster, at the age of 23, lives in Jonesboro, IL, and was approved for the WIOA Program to pursue a license in the Truck Driving Program in Fall 2022 at Shawnee Community College. Jasmin chose this career path to pick herself up and do something productive to provide for her two little boys. The short class with an excellent reward and pay greatly influenced her decision.

Jasmin states, “The WIOA Program gave me an opportunity I will never forget. Without this program, I could not have attended Shawnee College and enrolled in Truck Driving. I will forever be grateful for the program itself as well as the people who are a part of it.” The program helped her focus on school without worrying about finances. Right after receiving her CDL, Jasmin went to work for Ready Mix Solutions. Jasmin says that “my work experience with Ready Mix Solutions is much more than just driving a truck. I am responsible for delivering and pouring a perishable item within a certain time frame. I have been able to apply my quick-thinking skills and professionalism as I work closely with contractors and civilians to complete jobs well and promptly.”

“I still receive SNAP benefits for my boys, but the amount has decreased significantly since starting my new profession. I am happy to say that I will no longer need them at the rate I am moving.”

“I am indebted to the WIOA program for helping me to get to where I am today. I am proud to say that I thrive in a male-dominated field and earn lots of respect. I love my new career, and I’m thrilled with my choice to enroll in the Shawnee Community College Tuck Driving program”. Jasmin also wants to extend her appreciation to the Shawnee Development Council, Inc. WIOA Program by saying, “Thank you.”