Video Recorded Before COVID-19

If you missed part I of this story, check it out here. We introduced you to Rosa Mass, a mother of three who had little hope before Job Corps.

“I was listening to the radio one day,” Rosa explains, “and their [Job Corps] commercial came on. And at that time, I had no job. I had three kids, and I had no form of supporting [us].”

She ended up graduating from the Hartford center with certifications and training in insurance and finance. Hartford Job Corps then put Rosa in touch with Roy Mainelli, one of the center’s many community partners. Roy volunteers with Journey Home, a nonprofit organization that helps people get on their feet.

“It’s really the idea of raising a community and giving them a chance,” says Roy. “As we go through and interview people for our program, we just find that there’s a segment of them that just need that chance.”

That was the case with Rosa.

“I feel like I was a good investment,” says Rosa. “I feel like I fulfilled what I said I would fulfill to them [Job Corps].”

Rosa left Job Corps prepared to succeed. Roy put her in touch with a leading aerospace company called Belcan. Belcan was searching for qualified office staff, and Roy says Job Corps was a perfect match.

“The competency skills that they [Belcan] need is actually what’s being taught at Hartford Job Corps in their insurance program—a connection you probably never would have made. But they have communications skills. They have Microsoft Office skills that fit perfectly with what we’re looking at here.”

Rosa’s been with Belcan for a year and half. She’s paid well and loves her job.

“I was able to get my apartment,” she adds. “I went and got my car. You know, we were able to move. Like everything fell in place once I graduated Job Corps.”

Roy created the opportunity for Hartford graduates at Belcan, and the partnership has grown ever since.

“We started with a commitment of 10 people for Belcan. Now the commitment is 50 people.”

Roy credits much of the partnership’s success to Hartford Job Corps staff who do a great job sending qualified applicants to the job market.

“What we ask is, ‘can you give us people that really want the opportunity?’ We don’t know them. A one-time interview, you can’t really asses that. They do a great job because they tell us Jane is ready. You know, Joe is not quite ready yet. And we really value that because that’s why our success rate is so high versus just trying to fill numbers.”

Click here to see Part I of this story.