Congratulations to Achu Elvis, for securing a job as a Mapping Technician with Rodriguez Consulting, LLC. Rodriguez Consulting, LLC (Rodriguez) is a professional engineering and land surveying firm providing civil engineering, site design, and construction inspection services. Based in the South Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, Rodriguez's mission is to deliver vital civil engineering and geospatial services that strengthen the infrastructure supporting its communities and to offer unique training opportunities and pathways to careers for the residents of these communities. Rodriguez is also an 8(a) small disadvantaged business with the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) and a certified minority business enterprise (MBE) and disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE).
Until recently, Elvis worked in an Amazon warehouse. As a Mapping Technician with Rodriquez, Elvis heads into the field every day, secures his job tickets, and spends the workday mapping sewer and water lines. This new job moves Elvis closer to the kind of professional opportunity he hopes to land when he graduates from college. Elvis is currently pursuing an associate's degree in Management Information Systems. However, he is “strongly considering” changing his major to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) when he transfers to a four-year college. Elvis is well acquainted with GIS, given the time he spent as a GIS intern for Hopeworks.
Elvis starts his workday at Rodriquez at 7 am. That allows him to finish the day early enough to take the five Camden County College courses he is carrying this semester. Although his days are packed, he said he likes it that way because he “is trying to finish (college) as soon as possible.” He knows that the sooner he gets his degree, the sooner he’ll qualify for a high-paying job in his field of interest. We wish Elvis abundant energy and success as he forges forward, while continuing to send money to support his family in Cameroon.
In this series, Michelle Cheang, director of Catalyze, sat down with alumni and current participants of Catalyze-supported career-connected learning programs. Through in-depth conversations, Michelle and the learners discuss their experiences, growth and career goals. In the following videos, we'll hear directly from EJ Garcia, a learner at Hopeworks, about how he has developed his career […]
This episode of The Water Online Show focuses on the water industry's workforce shortage. Hopeworks, a training organization, is addressing this challenge by partnering with utilities like American Water. Hopeworks identifies employer needs, trains young professionals, and places them in well-suited roles. This innovative approach is helping to bridge the skills gap and ensure a […]
Grace Manning leads a program helping land young professionals work at companies like Subaru. Grace Manning is director of employer and alumni relations at Hopeworks, a nonprofit organization based in Philadelphia and South New Jersey, offering workforce development programs to young adults. Through training programs, paid internships, and placement services with local employers, Hopeworks helps young, diverse […]
