Kathy

“Towards Employment is no-nonsense preparation for the workplace.” Kathy needed a fresh start after spending years as her mother’s full-time caretaker; 57 years old and with 10 years out of the workforce, she faced significant challenges including no experience with online job searches and applications. Kathy applied for WorkAdvance, a regional initiative led by Towards Employment that provides education and training for careers in manufacturing or healthcare.

Kathy was accepted into the health care career pathway and began working towards certification as a Patient Access Specialist. Following a week of career readiness training at Towards Employment (TE), she and her classmates began the three-month long patient access program at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C). “It was way more in-depth than I expected, a week of all-day workshops on telephone skills, resumes and cover letters, behavioral testing and interview skills, even before the technical training.” Kathy completed her courses at Tri-C and began her externship at MetroHealth Medical Center. At the completion of her externship, Metro offered her a permanent position. Nearly two years later, Kathy is still at Metro, where she is working full-time. Her TE career coach, Debbie, continues to support Kathy; “I can always call with any question. And Debbie always calls or emails me when I hit a new milestone.” Kathy has a sense of confidence and a commitment to her career, “I really needed to expand my horizons. This is better than I ever thought it would be.”