New job winner gets helping hand–and a push–from West Philly program

Finding a job can be challenging even under the best of circumstances. Add dropping out of school and homelessness to the mix, and the odds against you start stacking up pretty fast.

Fortunately for this week’s guest on Recap, a helping hand reached out and gave her the training — and the push — she needed.

“I was always ready to quit. But the people running the program stood on my behind and wouldn’t let me give up,” recalls Melissa Williams, a recent graduate of the Job Specific Skills Training program at the Peoples’ Emergency Center in the Mantua section of Philadelphia. “It’s really good to know that you do have somebody outside your house and outside your work place who cares about you, and wants you to succeed.”

Now Melissa works as an administrator at Lowes, and tells us about her work week.