STRIVE Program Success Story - Marquis & Marcus Williams

Success Story: Marquis and Marcus Williams
Marquis Williams, technician for MPW, is a job seeker who sought employment services at the Auberle Employment Institute through the Career Pipeline Program for Justice-Involved Young Adults and, along with his brother Marcus, has had great success in occupational training and workforce development programming. With a goal of working as a safety manager, Marquis earned his certificate for customer service, then went on to earn Hazwoper certification, which includes asbestos certification, by scoring high on his tests. Along the way, Marquis attended two semesters at a community college and worked at KFC. He has worked a total of three construction site jobs through MPW.

Like his brother, Marcus Williams also accomplished his goals in the Auberle program. What started as two months of test-taking in safety, CPR, asbestos and OSHA has resulted in Hazwoper certification and employment with TMS International as a metals cutter and concrete cleaner. “The people who teach you at Auberle make you want to stay in the program and help you to learn better,” he said. “They provide recommendations. And it’s fun, too,” he added.

Inspired by their case manager, Timothy Kelly, who encouraged both young men to “be on their A game” in all that they do, the brothers pushed themselves to excel at communication and teamwork skills. Auberle advised them in every skill from voice tone to body posture to the art of teamwork in order to give them an edge in job interviews. It paid off for both. Marquis said it’s an experience he enjoyed and recommends to others. “Don’t give up,” he said. “Teachers will give you recommendations and you will get a lot of open doors.”

STRIVE Program Success

Partner4Work is proud of the successes of the STRIVE program for justice-involved young adults. From 2018 to 2021, Partner4Work partnered with the Auberle Employment Institute to implement the STRIVE program, providing career services to nearly 200 young adults who had been impacted by justice system involvement. 60% of the job seekers enrolled in STRIVE also participated in paid occupational training and 73% of those job seekers earned employer-recognized credentials. Overall, Auberle helped 85% of the job seekers enrolled in the STRIVE program find employment.