After working for a local digital media company for eight years, Margie Taylor, 54, found herself laid off following the first round of her company’s layoffs in late 2010. She had never been without a job in her adult life.
Taylor decided her next best option would be to return to college for an advanced degree. Living in rural Lynchburg, Ohio, there were no other job prospects in manufacturing, office clerk, or warehousing available for someone her age or near her hometown. Two years later, Taylor had earned an associate degree in human services from Chatfield College and is in the process of working on a bachelor’s degree in social work.
Digital Works opened a location in Lynchburg that quickly reversed Taylor’s employment prospects. Taylor chose to enroll in the Digital Works training program while continuing her college education. Digital Works is a job placement and technology skills training program that provides mentoring and training to workers seeking employment opportunities. Taylor came to Digital Works as a means of earning extra income to live off of while finishing her education.
Taylor started Digital Works with the first training group in the Lynchburg location in November 2013. Taylor was able to complete the training in the standard six-week time frame, putting in extra training hours to work around holiday hours. Margie was offered a level one position on January 6.
“Margie was very nervous at first but after she started to work from the Digital Works center during the onboarding nesting period, things have started to fall into place,” said Joel Pierre, Digital Works Lynchburg facilitator. “Margie is very pleased with the training so far and has expressed an interest in moving forward with advanced training to move into a more technical position.”