Faces of Workforce

Windy Ortiz had been involved in the justice system and got connected to our Reentry Works program, Prison to Employment. We connected with Windy to hear about her personal experience and what advice she’d give to others who are interested in the program.

Gregory and Richard recently graduated from Construction Career Jumpstart as pre-apprentices and were invited to join the Electrical Training Institute as apprentices; a process that typically takes several years of work , before being considered as apprentices. Here, Electrical Training Institute staff, Garrett and Marcus, discuss how Gregory and Richard made the jump in less than one year.

Cynthia and Khea, co-owners of Café X: By Any Beans Necessary connected with Workforce partner, Access Inc., to hire Betsy, a young adult looking for an internship opportunity. Read on to learn how the community partnerships like these are building San Diego’s future leaders.

Rebecca Beyene is completing a user experience (UX) design certificate through an ISA. She shared her experience with us–what she liked, learned and what advice she has for others who are considering TechHire.  

Martha Guzman is a finance specialist with the San Diego Workforce Partnership and has been with the organization for more than 20 years. She took some time to tell us about her experience with the program and what motivated her to seek out training.

Natalie Hickey is a current student who was looking for work experience. She joined the TechHire program and was placed as a digital marketing support intern with the San Diego Parks Foundation. Here Natalie tells us about her experience and what advice she has for others who are interested in finding a job.

Aron Steck had nearly 40 years of experience before he found himself unemployed. He was having a hard time finding a job and enrolled in the Employment Recovery Initiative (ERI) bootcamp earlier this year. Here, Aron tells us about his experience, road to employment and how the ERI bootcamp changed his perspective.

Ashlie Halton participated in our first ever Dental Assistant Program, a four week bootcamp that helped prepare participants for a career in the dental field through learning and earning certificates. She shared her experience with us–what she liked, learned and what advice she’d give to others who were interested in becoming dental assistants.

Robert Dunchene saw an advertisement for the Construction Career Jumpstart (CCJ) program on Facebook and after applying, was accepted. Here he tells us about his experience with the program and how it led to a position with San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E).  

Ernesto Gonzales was working at a job with limited financial growth when he heard about the Workforce Partnership’s UCSD Tech Certificate program. He applied for the business intelligence program and was accepted. Here he tells us about his experience with the team and his advice for others considering the program.