’Saved my life’: Free job training program gives Jacksonville graduates career tracks

At age 45, Aaron Scott Brady lost the postal carrier job he’d had for 24 years.

“The job market has changed a lot,” he said. “I didn’t know what I was going to do.”

At age 21, Riviera Mew was a high school graduate enrolled at the Jacksonville Job Corps Center who wanted to further her education. She had a “big personality” and natural leadership skills but said she needed to “learn how to overcome any fear or self-doubt I may encounter.” (Courtesy of jacksonville.com)

They both landed in free training programs in Jacksonville run by Generation, a global employment nonprofit, where they thrived. They not only found new careers — Brady as an information technology help-desk technician, Mew as an administrative medical assistant — but gained job skills and belief in themselves.

Their new lives began Friday as they and 73 other students graduated from the program.

“Generations pretty much saved my life,” Brady said. “I am so thankful … I tear up just thinking about how far this program has brought me in 11 weeks. I went from no job, no skills, to getting my first IT certification and a new job.”

Mew said the program taught her to always “see the bigger picture” and push froward, no matter what.

“It is OK to fall and get discouraged, but don’t just sit there, get back up, wipe your tears and keep going,” she said.

Founded in 2014 by McKinsey & Co., a worldwide management consulting firm, Generation runs an intensive six- to 12-week employment program in about 60 cities in five countries, opening in Jacksonville in 2016.

The local affiliate offers Generation’s program mostly for young adults, with training for customer service, informational technology and administrative medical assistant careers. This year it added the ReGeneration program, which provides information technology training for workers age 40 and over.

Friday’s graduates, who are from underserved populations, “gained the technical and behavioral skills needed to embark on sustainable new careers,” according to Generation. “Graduates not only learned the job-specific skills, they also learned ’soft skills’ that will help them navigate every aspect of life. They are confident, motivated and ready to interview with employer partners across Jacksonville.”

Since the Jacksonville affiliate opened, 721 students have gone through its programs and graduated.

“It’s incredibly uplifting to watch many students come into our classrooms with no hope and leave with a newfound confidence and the right mindset to enter or re-enter the workforce,” said coordinator Alex Rudnick. “To know Generation is impacting hundreds and eventually thousands in Jacksonville is, to say the least, inspiring.”

In the ReGeneration program, Brady obtained entry-level computer certification for PC computer service technicians. He was recently hired at the Jacksonville location of Concentrix, a global business services company, and wants to further upgrade his certifications.

He was one of the student speakers at Friday’s graduation.

“I have never done public speaking, so I wanted to challenge myself,” he said. His recommendation to fellow informational technology students: “If they have a passion for the IT field, do not give up and keep pursuing the field.”

Mew said her hoped-for job as an administrative medical assistant will help her achieve her ultimate goals: to become an esthetician, specializing in the beautification of the skin, and open a community center.

In the Generation program, she learned medical terminology and the electronic health records system used in doctor’s offices ranging in all types of patients. She said she also learned about “behavior and growth mindsets and even practicing self-care.”

“The impact this program has had on me was not only the knowledge, but also forming a sisterhood with amazing women from all different backgrounds who have come in with the same purpose and drive as me,” Mew said. “The program has confirmed for me that this is the direction I want to go into and to also share the knowledge to the youth that will come after me.”

GENERATION JACKSONVILLE

The local affiliate of Generation is at 320 E. Adams St., Jacksonville, FL 32202. For more information,call (904) 619-2241 or go to usa.generation.org/jacksonville or usa.generation.org/regeneration.

GENERATION JACKSONVILLE

The local affiliate of Generation is at 320 E. Adams St., Jacksonville, FL 32202. For more information, call (904) 619-2241 or go to usa.generation.org/jacksonville or usa.generation.org/regeneration.