NEW YORK, Dec. 27, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Ms. Codi Benway is ten years out of high school, where she was a top performer, but money and resources delayed plans to go to college, and she struggled to find entry-level full-time professional positions. Now she has a full-time professional job with benefits and a future. Free college tuition is the icing on the cake.
The 2008 Hardwick graduate is getting such an opportunity through a nonprofit organization called Workforce Opportunity Services (WOS). WOS, in operation since 2005, partners with corporations nationally to provide disadvantaged adults with work experience and a college education. Benway and seven other program members graduated to full-time status on December 9 in a ceremony held at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont. WOS partnered with the Community College of Vermont, which provided academic training for the group in July, followed by onsite experiential learning at BCBSVT for one year.
Howard Wooden, WOS Project Manager, explained that Benway is part of WOS's first group at Blue Cross, and which attended the Community College of Vermont (CCV) for training. Benway is now working full-time for WOS at Blue Cross in their Claims department. Wooden also stated that many WOS students are then kept on by the sponsor companies, and continue to go to college part-time. WOS pays for 18 college credits a year for the students, with financial backing from the sponsors.
"The whole idea of the program is to remove the barriers students face to get a career and get an education, with the hope that it puts you on a dual path to obtain both," said Tony Amato, Vice President of WOS. "A lot of times the students are strong academically, but they may not have the opportunity to go to college financially.
Once WOS set up its partnership with Blue Cross, it recruited throughout the state. One of the participants, Luis Martinez, was working full-time at a Vermont convenience store when he heard about the program, and decided to enroll to have to opportunity to be trained in a technical profession. "It's just too good to be true because it gives you the chance to take classes for free and then have a job; it's unbelievable," he said.
Blue Cross and their Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Vicki Hildebrand, signed on to the program based on her experience working with WOS at Hewlett Packard and the U.S. Department of Transportation. "It's all about finding talent, developing it for the Vermont workforce," she indicated. "The people are there; this program finds them and provides the opportunity for those who have the desire to learn and improve within a program that supports them both academically and financially.
"We've had very positive results," Hildebrand said. "The program that WOS and CCV put consultants through really provided great foundational skills." Additionally, she shared that the WOS agenda, "Appeals to the company's core values; we definitely have a value on building strong talent for the future."
From 2013 to 2019, in partnership with United Rentals in Dallas, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, WOS has trained over 400 veterans for service technician roles.
CCV President Joyce Judy says, "CCV is proud to partner with WOS and Blue Cross. By bringing the resources of each organization to the table, we have created something better together than any of us could alone. The program was intense for students, but each of them met the challenge and they are excited about their new opportunities."
WOS is available and is currently looking for other Vermont business partners who are experiencing difficulties finding qualified new employees. If you would like more information about WOS and our programs, or are interested in an interview with a WOS representative,
Please contact WOS media relations at press@wforce.org or 212-870-0241.
About Workforce Opportunity Services
Founded in 2005, Workforce Opportunity Services (WOS) is a leading 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to developing the skills of untapped talent from underserved and veteran communities through partnerships with organizations dedicated to diversifying their workforce. Utilizing a scientifically-based model derived from research conducted at Columbia University, we recruit, educate, train, and place high-potential candidates with leading organizations around the world. For more information, visit wforce.org.
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