Success Stories

Luis Garcia and his family live in Hereford, Tx. In July of 2021, we first met him at our Workforce Solutions Panhandle office there. He had worked for W.W. Transport in Dawn, Tx for several years. His employer had recently offered to promote him if he would obtain a Class-A Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). Luis was determined to accomplish this goal to bring home more income for his family.
Luis then met with Kim from our Job-Training Team to discuss how we could help him obtain his CDL License. We were able to cover the cost of his tuition, books, uniform, and transportation costs.
Luis planned to drive from Hereford to Amarillo during the week to attend class from 8 am-5 pm and continue working to provide income for his family.
His CDL Course began soon after their meeting. Luis drove nearly an hour to class each day. Immediately after class, he then traveled to Dawn, Tx, to work during the evenings. For eight weeks, Luis continued this very demanding schedule. In September, Luis completed his course and successfully obtained his Class-A CDL.
Soon after, his employer promoted him to a Company Driver making $20 per hour as his starting wage. A few months later, in December, Luis was offered a Manager Position and another pay raise. Luis shared that his employer was impressed with his performance during the training and after being promoted. After seeing his work ethic and determination, his employer wanted to utilize him even more. Luis gladly accepted the position.
We are proud to serve the entire Texas Panhandle. Many people around the area travel far and work very hard to achieve their goals. We are thankful for the opportunity to be a part of their success.

We first met Moses in September of 2021. He is in his early 20s, living in Amarillo, Tx, and has been working various jobs since high school. He was ready to start a career that would financially support him. Some of his friends in the trucking industry encouraged him to obtain his Class-A Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). With this in mind, he reached out and asked how we could help him achieve his goal.  

Moses met with Helene from our Youth Job-Training Team. She had the opportunity to sit down with him and work on a plan together. Moses wanted to enroll in the soonest available CDL course. The next available course was in Dumas, 45 miles away from his home. Moses enrolled in the program and planned to drive himself from Amarillo to Dumas. We were able to cover the cost of his tuition, books, and uniform.  

Helene and Moses then talked about other obstacles he might be facing. He told her, “I’m not so worried about the book tests, but I am a little worried about taking the driving tests.” Proficiently driving a 35,000 lbs. vehicle would be intimidating for anyone. But, Helene reassured him that with training, he would be successful.

The CDL course was still a month away. So Helene reached out to Auto Nation Chevrolet in Amarillo and worked with them to set up a paid internship for Moses. During the weeks leading up to his class, Moses worked there as a Service Porter to help save money for his time during school. Moses cleaned and detailed cars and worked alongside the team at Auto Nation Chevrolet. His new supervisor, Terry, was impressed with his performance during the internship.

Before class started in October, Terry offered Moses a part-time position at Auto Nation Chevrolet. Terry had said that Moses  “…is great. We really don’t want to lose him.” Moses accepted the job offer, and Terry helped him schedule his work around school hours.

While working and attending class, Moses managed his responsibilities very well. He prepared and planned for this time in school and was able to avoid any major barriers. This helped him keep his coursework as his main priority.

Moses completed the 8-week course. When tested on his driving at the end, Moses received the 3rd highest score in his class and successfully obtained his Class-A CDL.

Moses and Helene are now working together to find the right place to begin his career as a Professional Truck Driver. Based on his potential offers, Moses will be making a salary that supports his goals of living on his own and being financially independent.

We had the opportunity to see Moses pick his goals and successfully achieve them. Now we are excited to see him take the next steps into a very successful career field.

In September of 2021, Dione C. faced a challenging path. She was looking for work after being released from incarceration. We first met Dione when she utilized our resource room to apply for work and successfully scheduled several job interviews. The job interviews were an exciting opportunity, but Dione was worried that she did not have the right clothing for an interview. She let our staff know of her situation. We were able to partner with the Downtown Women’s Center to get her the clothing she needed. Dione left our office and went straight to pick up her new clothing and prepare for the interviews she had set for the following day. 

In the meantime, at Dione’s request, our staff worked to enroll her with us so that further services could be provided if needed. Five days later, she was employed. 

Dione needed additional clothing and resources to start her new job. We were able to provide that support. Dione secured a job for herself, and she continues to remain employed at the same employer as she works to better her future.

In October of 2020, Richard M. visited Workforce Solutions Panhandle in Amarillo. He shared that he was now providing full-time care to his foster daughter. This change had come as a surprise to Richard. After visiting with staff, he was enrolled in Child Care Services and his daughter was able to receive child care at a center he had chosen.

Richard recently visited the office again and excitedly shared that he was grateful for the help. He wanted to let our staff know that he successfully adopted his daughter and could not have done it without the help of Child Care Services.

Michael R. and his wife were faced with a tough decision, who could stay home to take care of their child? Both parents work in the service industry, but recent hardships had caused them to fall behind on their child care payments. The family relied on the income of both parents to meet their needs. Before making a final decision, Michael applied and qualified for childcare assistance through Service Industry Recovery Funding. He worked closely with child care staff to provide needed information and soon after applying, his application was approved. After learning this, Michael reached out to let staff know how much he appreciated this service. Both parents are now able to continue earning the income their family needs, provide their child with child care, and payoff any final outstanding child care debts. 

Luis Zamora served the Hereford Community for 20 years while employed with the Hereford Police Department; however, was let go by the department in 2016. Luis had concerns about his situation and his next career move as he was an “over 50” worker. Luis visited the Workforce Solutions Panhandle office in Hereford and began working with our Job-Training Services Team. With the information he was provided, Luis decided to make a career move and he began pursuing his Class A Commercial Driver’s License. Workforce Solutions Panhandle was able to assist in paying for his DOT physical and CDL training. Because of his efforts and dedication and our assistance, Luis successfully graduated from the CDL Training – Truck Driving Academy at Amarillo College with his Class A CDL. For the last 5 years, Luis has been successfully employed with Panhandle Community Services, utilizing his license, and is now the Transit Manager. Luis visited the Workforce Solutions Panhandle Hereford office in October of 2021 to request our assistance in finding transit drivers to work for him at Panhandle Community Services. During his visit, Luis said that Job-Training through Workforce Solutions Panhandle had “Made a Huge Impact on my Life”.

John enrolled in our Job Training Services (WIOA) with the goals of completing a Registered Nurse Bridge Training at a local college and gaining self-sufficient employment. Our program covered the costs of John’s training. He successfully completed the RN Bridge training and obtained his RN license. After completing his training, he found employment as an RN. John was able to meet his goals both in his education and in employment with help from Workforce Solutions Panhandle.

 Jamshid connected with our team after he had spent a period of time as a caregiver for his mother. Jamshid enrolled in our Job Training Services (WIOA) and we were able to cover the costs of a Commercial Driver’s License Training program for him. After successfully completing his CDL Training he received a job offer from an employer.

Maria is single parent of 4 children. When COVID-19 caused schools to close, Maria had to stay home to take care of her children and help them start using virtual schooling. Maria was asked to work for our School COVID-19 Sanitation project. Maria’s job is to help her local reopened school keep their campus clean and sanitized. “The opportunity couldn’t have come at a better time. Especially because the hours allow me to be with my children before going to work and after getting out of work. I don’t have to worry about them being home alone.” Maria is able to work during school hours and has hope to continue working with the local ISD as new opportunities arise. “I would encourage others to take this opportunity. Thank you Workforce Solutions!” – Maria

April received TWC funding for quality initiatives and graduated with her Master’s of Science in Human Sciences “Thank you and workforce solutions again for the scholarship opportunity. Tomorrow I graduate with a Master of Science in Human Sciences and it would not have been possible without the scholarship. Thank you for all you and your team does for young children and their caregivers!”

Isabel V.

When Isabel V. was laid off, she turned to Workforce Solutions Panhandle for help in finding new employment. Isabel attended several workshops that helped her develop her resume and do well in job interviews. She made sure to utilize all available resources to aid in her job search. Isabel is now employed and was thrilled to tell the Workforce Team that their efforts had helped her find employment

At age 15 Savanna helped take care of her grandma and that was when she knew she wanted to help others. Savanna challenged herself to pursue her dreams and joined a Certified Nursing Assistant class. She received her certification and in 2019 was accepted into the Licensed Vocational Nurse program.Workforce Solution’s Youth program provides financial assistance to pay for tuition, fees, and supplies such as nursing scrubs. Childcare assistance made attending school a reality and according to Savanna, the encouragement of the staff at Workforce Solutions was as important as the financial help. Savanna could not have finished without a secondary support system.