Category: Success Stories

Hassibullah had been in the States for three months before he was referred to Puget Sound Training Center by a friend. On his first appointment with the Employment Case Manager, Hassibullah was enrolled in the LEP pathway program and an employment assessment plan was constructed for him in order to address his main barriers. Hassibullah spoke good English; however, he didn’t have any work experience in America or possessed any employable skills.

Fortunately, Puget Sound Training Center was offering a three month (October 2014- December 2014) long Pilot Program that consisted of forklift, warehouse, computer and job readiness training. It required dedication and consistency. While enrolled in the Pilot program, Hassibullah was hired part time at FedEx Smartpost as a Parcel Assistant. This allowed him to put into practice the warehouse training he received at PSTC.

On December 29th, 2014 Hassibullah had great attendance and completed the Pilot program receiving his warehouse, forklift and computer certifications. The Pilot Program had increased his employability. So with the assistance of an Employment Case Manager at PSTC his resume was updated to illustrate his new skills and experiences, his cover letter was modified to emphasize his plans to find employment in the warehouse industry and he received one-on-one job search assistance so he could get help with his online job applications. In order to make Hassibullah an active participant in finding a job, he was provided with information about companies that were doing open interviews and accepting in-person job applications so he could use his job readiness skills and improve his interview skills.

By January 2015, Hassibullah was going through two interview process with Food Services of America for full time Order Selector position that paid $15.00 and with Bartell Drugs for a full time Warehouse Staff position that paid $13.50. Hassibullah was successful in his interview process and both companies offered him a job. Hassibullah professionally declined the job offer from Bartell Drugs and the manager at Bartell Drugs warehouse told Hassibullah that if anything changes he is more than welcome to come back. After working for Food Services of America for a month, Hassibullah was unable to continue working due to health reasons. He once again conducted himself professionally well resigning. Once again, Hassibullah returned to PSTC and he was advised to contact Bartell Drugs and see if the warehouse staff position was available and luckily it was. More importantly, the manager at Bartell Drugs warehouse was more than happy to have a skilled and dedicated worker like Hassibullah working for him. Since, February 25th, 2015 Hassibullah has been happily employed with Bartell Drugs and plans to take part time college courses during the summer.

H.D. previous work experience had been in food production and caregiving and had limited writing skills in English before enrolling in our BFET program at Puget Sound Training Center (PSTC) on September 2014. However, her previous jobs were temporary or part time, and her ultimate goal was to work for an employer that will guarantee her full time hours and provide her with medical/health benefits. Hamda is a mother of four boys, and was eager to secure a job that will allow her to support her family while growing professionally. She knew that as long as she was consistent in her job search that she will find a job that meets her personal and professional expectations. Hamda met with an Employment Case Manager once a week and was provided with a multi cultural case management and a comprehensive employment search which entailed the creation of a resume, individualized cover letter and one-on-one job search assistance.

H.D. was willing to accept a part time job so she could continue supporting her family, but her ultimate goal remained the same. On November 2014, with the assistance of her employment case manager, she was hired for a part time position. This helped her generate some income while being able to participate in job search activities with Puget Sound Training Center. Unfortunately, by the end of December 2014, the holiday season was coming to an ended and she was only working no more than 8 hours a week, so she decided to put her full focus on job search for the month of January. She came to her job search appointments, and applied for only full time positions that required skills and experiences she had already acquired. She wanted to secure a job by the end of January.

Her positive and optimistic mindset paid off when with the help of her employment case manager she applied online with an employer named Sodexo for a full time Housekeeping Attendant opening. She was called for an interview with Sodexo and her employment case manager provided her with an updated resume, cover letter and few tips that will assist her in the interview process. On January 29, 2015 she was hired by Sodexo for a full time position, earning an entry level wage of $12.49/hour plus health benefits and time off. Our client is excited about her new job and happy that she was able to meet her ultimate goal to find full time employment with the help of Puget Sound Training Center.

I was referred to Puget Sound Training Center by my local CSO office in 2007, and since then I have been coming to their office for assistance. The staff at PSTC has always been attentive and willing to help us, even though we have not been regular clients.

Our work experience has been in the warehouse industry, and due to transportation limitations, we have always looked for employment at places where we can work together. Luckily, we found employment with Nintendo and worked for them for over four years.

In late 2011, we were laid off from our positions with Nintendo of America, and since then we had struggle to find another job. We decided to visit the Puget Sound Training Center again and asked if we could get help finding employment. They immediately said yes, and with a week, our resumes were updated, applied for a free cell phone, and email accounts were created for us. We applied for several jobs online and completed many online job applications, and it was during this intensive job search that our case manager at PSTC received a phone call from an employer in Kent that was in need of warehouse workers. Our resumes were forwarded to the HR manager and within less than a week, we had our interview and later a job offer.

We are very happy that we have found permanent employment. We are now able to provide more to our children and live happier, productive lives.