Roger Barrett

Roger

When Roger visited Man-Tra-Con for assistance in April 2016, he had several barriers that prevented him from finding employment. He had a felony charge from many years ago on his record, and did not have a GED or driver’s license. Even if he had been able to drive a car to work, he did not have enough money for gas.

Career Specialists Tena Studer and Autumn Basler worked together to help Roger overcome his barriers and develop work readiness skills. They helped him find public transportation options as he searched for work. Autumn assisted Roger with creating a resume, applying for jobs, and helped him rebuild his confidence through mentoring and mock interview sessions.

In August 2016, Roger began working at an auto body shop in West Frankfort, Illinois through the Work Experience progam. He learned about car detailing and developed work readiness skills such as, showing up for work every day, being on time, and other accountability practices.

While receiving Man-Tra-Con services, Roger had found temporary work at a car parts business in Nashville, Illinois through an employment agency. The position only lasted 4 weeks so Robert continued with his job search, determined to find permanent employment.

In October 2016, Roger landed a full-time Assembly Line position at Gilster Mary Lee Corporation—a food service manufacturing plant in Chester, Illinois. He is currently earning $9.10 per hour.

According to Career Specialist Autumn Basler, Roger was appreciative of the assistance he received from Man-Tra-Con, which included paying for his work uniform. “We were the first agency that took him seriously and followed through on what we said were going to do,” Autumn said.