JHA Employment, Training Program Celebrates new Graduates

The Johnstown Housing Authority's Employment and Training Program celebrated eight graduates of the program's second friend who went into a brand-new stage of life Friday.

The ceremony at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College in Richland pharmacy.locumsfirst.co.uk Township marked a brand-new start for https://teachersconsultancy.com/ the graduates, https://sowjobs.com who are set to look for further education or 24-Hour Loan work in the Johnstown location, stated JHA Executive Director Mike Alberts.

For the previous four months, those enrolled in the program completed courses offered by a partnership among Penn Highlands, Johnstown Area Regional Industries and PA CareerLink.

The program included courses provided at Johnstown public housing neighborhood rooms to eliminate participants' transportation barriers.

The curriculum consisted of conflict management, job search and interview abilities, Microsoft Word and Excel, and life skills management, as well as expedition for a robotics bootcamp and tours of technology-based production business consisting of Kitron and [empty] Compass Systems.

The ceremony Friday commemorated the 8 graduates of the program while acknowledging dozens more who enrolled, but pulled out after discovering employment or other further education chances along the method.

PHOTO GALLERY|Johnstown Housing Authority Employment & Training Program Graduation

Bernice Sanders (ideal), of the Coopersdale section of Johnstown, commemorates after getting her Certificate of Completion during the Johnstown Housing Authority Employment & Training Program graduation event at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College in Richland Township on Friday, January 31, 2025.

Jeanne Vandergrift (front), of the Dale area of Johnstown, celebrates with graduates after getting her Certificate of Completion during the Johnstown Housing Authority Employment & Training Program graduation ceremony at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College in Richland Township on Friday, January 31, 2025.

RJ Montague (right), of Johnstown, shakes hands with Johnstown Housing Authority (JHA) Executive Director Mike Alberts (center) while receiving their Certificate of Completion throughout the JHA Employment & Training Program graduation ceremony at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College in Richland Township on Friday, January 31, 2025. Searching, from delegated right, is Pennsylvania Highlands Community College President Steve Nunez and JARI President and CEO Linda Thomson.

Marie Bradford, of the Oakhurst section of Johnstown, celebrates during the Johnstown Housing Authority Employment & Training Program graduation ceremony at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College in Richland Township on Friday, January 31, 2025.

Dellia Gonzalez, of the Oakhurst section of Johnstown, with her daughter Dakota Marong, 3, praises the graduates during the Johnstown Housing Authority Employment & Training Program graduation ceremony at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College in Richland Township on Friday, January 31, 2025.

JARI Workforce Development Director Dave Grimaldi congratulates the individuals completing the Johnstown Housing Authority Employment & Training Program throughout a graduation event at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College in Richland Township on Friday, January 31, 2025.

By Thomas Slusser
[email protected]!.?.! JARI Director of Workforce Development Dave Grimaldi said members of the program's second accomplice have actually progressed to further education at Penn Highlands or other area schools for certification in fields including HVAC, emergency situation medication and cybersecurity. The program is offered at no charge to participants and finished its very first cohort in June. After Friday's graduation, 2 more friends are scheduled, Grimaldi said. The program was started by previous JARI Workforce Development Director Debra Balog and

PA CareerLink Cambria County website administrator Jeff Dick."This was one of the finest ideas we have actually had for finding quality workers for employers in the area,"Balog said."We developed the idea of dealing with our public housing systems because lots of people had transportation and child care barriers that kept them from accessing resources beyond Johnstown's public real estate." U.S. Department of Housing and redefineworksllc.com Urban Development Pittsburgh Field Office Director Michael Horvath stated the program has assisted people"

lift themselves up and get them connected. "He praised the graduates and the partners who made the program possible. The program has actually made HUD recognition as a finest practice, an acknowledgment provided to one authority each year for specifically improving the lives of its citizens, Alberts stated. The graduates got certificates and a standing ovation from friends and family in participation, as well as Cambria County Thomas Chernisky, Cambria Regional Chamber of Commerce President Amy Bradley and agents from U.S. Sen. John Fetterman's workplace. Fetterman, D-Pa., and previous U.S. Sen. Bob Casey contributed in championing the program, JARI President Linda Thomson said.