Minnesota Resource Center

A job. His own home. The ability to live independently.

These are the things that George, a Vietnam-Era veteran, lost when he was laid off in early 2006 after 25 years in facilities maintenance. Due to financial difficulties resulting from his unemployment and some significant health issues, George had to move into the Veterans Home. Although he was thankful to have a place to live and assistance with his health, George was frustrated that he’d lost some of his independence.

George was determined to regain his full independence and move back into a home of his own. He decided the best path to achieving his goals would be to re-enter the workforce in the industry he knew and was highly experienced in. He discovered that it “wasn’t quite that easy,” as position after position that he applied for required certifications that he did not have. George had never struggled so hard on a job search before, and he began to worry that he would never reach his dream of living on his own again.

Knowing how worried George was about his job search, a friend told George about the training he took through Minnesota Resource Center (MRC), a division of RESOURCE. After meeting with an MRC staff person, George decided that MRC’s Jobs for Veterans program could help him reach his employment goals.

George began with Civilian Job Skills Development Training, where he improved his computer skills and learned how to use some new programs. His next step was Green Auditing and Energy Efficient Building Skills Training to increase his knowledge of green building practices. George was certain this course would increase his chances of getting his next job because “employers want people who know this stuff.” George’s last training was Green Building Maintenance Operations Manger Training, where he obtained his Special Class Engineers License and his Certified Pool Operators License.

These certifications allowed George to compete for positions that his experience qualified him for, but had not previously had the education and credentials. Now he has both!

George graduated in April 2010. Once he completed his training he immediately began his job search with guidance from MRC’s Employment Specialists. Less than a month later, he began a full time position making $14.25 an hour with a company in his hometown in southern Minnesota.

Not only is George happy to be close to family and friends in the area, but he recently moved out of the Veterans Home and into a place of his own.

MRC is life changing. The person who walked slowly and unsurely into MRC to begin his training process was not the person MRC staff saw the day he walked into job club to say he had a job that paid over $14/hour!