Armando
Career Specialist Michelle Sanchez reports on her customer. “In June 2018, Armando, a veteran, came to Man-Tra-Con for employment assistance after being laid off from his job. He was determined eligible for WIOA services as a dislocated worker unlikely to return to his former job. He had been enrolled in the Industrial Electronics degree program at Rend Lake College (RLC) in Ina, Illinois, and was utilizing the GI Bill to cover tuition and fees. Armando did not want to utilize WIOA funds to cover his tuition and fee costs because he was able to receive a monthly stipend through the VA if he utilized the GI bill. This choice was best while supporting his family of five,” Michelle explains.
“Although he could not accept help with tuition costs, Armando was able to receive WIOA financial assistance to help pay for textbooks, supplies, and mileage reimbursement. During his training, Armando took a coal mining class as one of the required classes in his program. Immediately after taking the class, he was offered a full-time coal miner position working 40 hours per week earning $15.00 per hour,” Michelle adds.
“In April 2019, Armando accepted the position at the Jenmar coalmine, as he had recently learned that his wife was expecting their fourth child. Although he did not continue on with training services, he was able to secure full-time employment utilizing the knowledge he learned in one of his classes at Rend Lake College,” Michelle reports.