Workforce Challenge

Benjamin was unhappy at his high school in Pennsylvania, and decided to make a fresh start by relocating to Baltimore to live with his mother. A friend of the family recommended the Baltimore City Career Academy and in January 2009, Benjamin enrolled in the GED program there. As a student at the Career Academy, Benjamin found that he liked the small classes. He also felt the teachers genuinely cared about him and his classmates and wanted them to succeed.

Workforce Solution

He was able to access counseling, mentoring, transportation assistance, leadership development, career development, job search assistance, and occupational training and certification through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Job Corps program. And by taking advantage of opportunities through Job Corps and YouthWorks – Baltimore City’s summer jobs program operated by the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development (MOED) – Benjamin earned a paycheck and gained real-world work experience. After graduating from the Career Academy and successfully passing the Maryland State GED exam, Benjamin enrolled in the Community College of Baltimore County’s emergency medical technician training program.

Outcomes & Benefits

In July 2010 Benjamin started working full-time, with benefits, as a trauma attendant at the University of Maryland Medical Center. He recently had to take a leave of absence from college because of his demanding work schedule, but he plans to return to college this spring to continue to pursue his dream job as a Baltimore City firefighter. Benjamin currently works for Dunbar Armored Company, where he began working in 2012. He works in the area of cash management logistics.