Having spent three decades as a small business owner, managing two salons in Encinitas and downtown San Diego, life threw a curveball at Teresa Koecher. In 2014, she faced a life-altering accident, leaving her physically incapable of working in the same capacity as before and starting her life anew. With the help of friends and her church community, she could pick herself up and change course.

After losing her job as a protective service worker, Diana Lopez, became a member of the North County Career Centers, where she sought out training and found more resources than she expected. Read on as Diana tells in her own words how the career center workshops and services helped her land a new job.

After struggling with substance use and multiple instances with the justice system, 55-year-old Susan Rivera decided it was time to seek help and change the trajectory of her life.

Daniel Maclean is a veteran who had a difficult time finding employment in the civilian workforce. His more than 15 years employment experience and 20-year military career as a Navy Seal were simply not landing him a job in what turned out to be a very different job market than he was used to. Then he found the Workforce Partnership.

This year turned Heather Villegas’ life upside down. The unexpected loss of her husband as well as her job and health due to COVID-19 left her struggling to provide for her three children on her own. Hearing about the career centers On-the-Job Training was a turning point for her. Read on as Heather tells her story in her own words.

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.

Current college student lands a temporary job that leads to her finding her career path and field of study. She says her decision was influenced by her experience as an RFP evaluator with the San Diego Workforce Partnership.

Having received unemployment and disability insurance for two years in 2012 after being laid off from a different job, this time Richard was determined to go to the South County Career Center every day to use the computer resources and attend workshops on everything from resume writing to job interview skills.

Rahmatullah, who speaks Farsi (his native tongue), English, Pashto (spoken in Afghanistan) and Urdu (spoken in Pakistan and India), worked as an interpreter for the U.S. Armed Forces in Afghanistan for nearly three years.

Jessie Island is a decorated veteran and a father to a 4-year-old son. Until recently, Jessie was looking for a better paying job and was in dire need of a special driver’s license that would give him the salary and benefits he needs to support his family.

Four years ago, Pamela Olvera visited the South County Career Center and tapped into available funding for training to pursue her passion of cooking. She used the funding for culinary school, and now owns a cafe in Point Loma called the Northside Shack.