Angela Smith, Career Advancement Team Lead, reports, “In April 2014, when Yolanda enrolled in the Work Participation, Placement, and Support Services Program–which KRA operates for the Baltimore City Department of Social Services–she was apathetic, disengaged from activities, and rarely even smiled.”
However, Angela and her Team successfully began to draw Yolanda, 31, out of her shell, encouraging and motivating her until she was convinced that active participation in the Work-Readiness Workshops was not only for her benefit, but that of her child as well.
“After training, Yolanda was placed with a staffing agency, and when she came to pick up her Tablet–a gift for customers who maintain fulltime employment for at least 3 months–her face was lit up with joy, as she showed me an offer letter from Johns Hopkins Hospital, one of her temp assignments, for a permanent Environmental Care Associate I position!
KRA/Baltimore believes that effective workforce development is a continuum of workplace progress– obtaining, retaining, and advancing. We equip our customers with the work-readiness tools needed to effectively achieve the next goal in their Career Plans, which for Yolanda is to become an Environmental Care Supervisor at Hopkins. We have no doubt that she will succeed, smiling all along the way.”
Dr. Boone’s 20+ years’ experience in the industry is extensive and her expertise in private-, public-, and non-profit sector workforce-services organizations is unparalleled, particularly in the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan area.
