Career Specialist Reba Utley reports on her customer. “In May 2018, Toriaun lost his job from Thomas Service, Inc., in DuQuoin, Illinois. Losing a job can happen to the best of us and Toriaun experienced this first hand. Instead of sulking, he took action and came to Man-Tra-Con for job search assistance and training,” Reba explains.
“When I met with Torian in September 2018, his only work experience for the past 5 years had been as a Field Service Technician. He had been receiving unemployment insurance payments from Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) since losing his job, but needed to find permanent employment. Toriaun did not have the work history or education to find full-time employment that would equal the wage he was receiving when he lost his job,” Reba adds.
“Toriaun was eligible to participate in vocational retraining as a dislocated worker. He decided enroll in the Cyber Security and Information Assurance Technology degree program at John A. Logan College (JALC). He was hoping to find employment in the constantly growing field of computer science. Through WIOA training funds, Toriaun was able to receive assistance with tuition, books, supplies and mileage during his training,” Reba reports.
“After Toriaun completed the degree program at JALC, he began his job search journey. Working together, we created a job search portfolio that included important items such as a cover letter, resume, references, degrees, and letters of recommendation. Mock interview sessions were a ‘cinch’ for Toriaun due to his excellent communication skills,” Reba adds.
“During his job search, Toriaun applied at Continental Tire in Mt. Vernon for an IT/Computer position. He was interviewed and to his surprise he received an offer for a Set-Up Tech/Tire Assembler position with an annual salary of $42,000. Toriaun accepted the position and began work on July 15, 2019. He is not giving up on his dream to work in the IT/Computer Technology field. As positions open within Continental Tire, he plans to apply and work his way up the ladder to get where he wants to be. He is very happy to get back into the workforce and be able to provide for his family,” Reba says.
