Fort Campbell, Ky (June 25, 2020) – The Fort Campbell Digital Works program is still virtual and holding classes every few weeks. With our new two-week rotation schedule, we are able to accommodate more students a month with less time between classes, translating into faster job placement for our graduates!
This month, we ran two classes back-to-back with a total of 13 students between the two. These two classes were, by far, our most diverse in military background! We have a class with four veterans, two of whom are now active-duty spouses. Our first dependent family member (an adult child of an active-duty member) was also in one of our June classes.
“Every story I hear from these students encourages me more and more,” Jess Golson, Fort Campbell Facilitator, says of the impact these students have on her. “I have never truly found a calling in a career the way I have with this program. I relate to these students. I understand their backgrounds and their everyday trials. They bring their trust to me, and I do not take that lightly.”
Golson has been working from home for the first time as a result of this pandemic. The change in environment has opened her eyes to what our students see once they graduate and begin working from home.
“I have six kids and a husband on orders who is rarely home right now. Juggling the household while all of the kids are out of school, especially acting as a single parent, is rough. It is a lot of work. I can’t even imagine if I had to leave the house every day for my job. We can’t afford for either of us to take off for any length of time. Working from home has been a lifesaver,” she says. “This experience has helped me to appreciate the flexibility and benefits of working at home far beyond what I could have imagined prior to the shutdowns. It has most definitely strengthened my determination to assist as many members of my military community as possible in finding the jobs they need, jobs that allow for the craziness of our lives.”
With the completion of the current class in session, the Fort Campbell Digital Works program will have produced nearly 50 graduates in the last five months with over 60 job offers already extended to graduates.
“We are slow-moving, establishing our place in the community, but we are showing our success. We are helping people and we have no plans to stop anytime soon.”
