Two more Hopeworks alumni -- Pabel Arizaga and Chris Newbill -- are continuing their professional journey with full time positions at American Water, right here in Camden!
After serving time in the military, Pabel returned home and tried finding employment that fit him, but the jobs did not work out. Ready for a change, Pabel heard about Hopeworks from his mom and his sister and decided to give it a try. Coming to Hopeworks, Pabel worked hard to complete the training, and became a leader on the GIS team, even earning his drone pilot certification as he worked on projects for American Water, Comcast, and other customers. Now, he is taking those skills to American Water as a full time GIS Technician!
Chris found out about Hopeworks through his mom and sister as well. He came to Hopeworks because he was feeling directionless and did not know what his next step would be. Chris did not have the easiest time when he first joined Hopeworks. He described his first few weeks as frustrating, discouraging, and overwhelming. He even admits to being ready to quit at one point. He decided to stick with it because, as he shared, “I realized somewhere along the way that I could not just keep quitting on things.”
Chris has made the most of his time at Hopeworks. He moved from trainee to an intern in our GIS department, where he demonstrated such a high level of skill that he was offered a full time position at Hopeworks working on our American Water contract. Now, he is using those same skills -- at a much higher pay rate -- at American Water, working on their GIS Team.
Congratulations to both Chris and Pabel on their huge growth!
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 […]
