BALTIMORE — 24 people in Baltimore City are now starting new careers as caregivers after graduating from a workforce development program.
WATCH: Baltimore workforce development program prepares graduates for new careers as caregivers
The success is a result of the partnership between itWorks Learning Center, MOED, and Catholic Charities’ Compassionate Caregivers and Level Up programs.
"These graduates showed up three nights a week from 5:30 to 10:30 pm. Balancing jobs, families, kids, everything that life has to throw at them," says Erin Finnegan-Smith, director of workforce development, Catholic Charities.
After 15 weeks of taking classes, these graduates are stepping into new roles.
Some of them are certified as nursing assistants, others as geriatric nursing assistants.
"This class had a hundred percent completion," says Finnegan-Smith.
Every graduate in the class also has job placement directly after crossing the stage, which is something that hasn't happened before in a workforce development program in Baltimore City.
"I feel good; all of our classmates we pushed each other a lot, so I am proud of myself, and I am proud of my classmates," says Markell Dixon.
Dixon says it was a challenge being a part of this program on top of working, but he says his goal is to be a registered nurse, and this was the first step in making it a reality.
"As many times as I wanted to give up because I was working as well, I always stuck through it and just know that something good is going to come out of it," he says.
That same story is true for others like Mariah Reed, who says she was on this path before but had to stop her schooling journey to work full time.
"I'm not going to lie, it was a roller coaster, but you know, working with Lori and Judy, they made it a little easier. It works, and Catholic Charities, they do well with working with you and getting you to the point where you want to be," says Mariah Reed.
Reed says she is happy getting a second shot at this career path.
"They prepared me well. I can honestly say I can go to work, and I am confident in my training and everything I have done, and honestly the people that I have worked with, even during clinical, love me, so I am happy," says Reed.
Each of the 24 graduates will now be a part of a nursing home staff or work at other locations throughout Maryland.
