Success Stories

Irene Hernandez is a single parent who has always worked in the food industry. Irene was not able to work more than 25 hours per week due to not having the help with child care. Irene heard about the child care program and applied for assistance through her job with United Supermarket.

Irene was approved for child care and was so excited to hear the good news of being eligible. She made it known to her employer of her availability being more open, so she can add more hours to her work schedule. This is an advantage for Irene for better benefits at work, a higher take home pay and being able to gain more experience.

Irene was encouraged by her sister-in-law, who serves in the medical field as a nurse in the Intensive Care Unit. This motivated Irene to change her viewpoint to get out of the food industry and go into the medical field as well.

Irene is wanting to attend school for CNA and has contacted Amarillo College to enroll in their Summer I classes in June. The child care assistance provided to Irene is allowing her the possibility of going back to school as well, a dream she has always wanted to pursue.

Placing her children in daycare will help them adopt skills that will benefit them later in life. Irene knows the program will help improved employment outcomes for herself and other parents.

If you’d like to learn more about Workforce Solutions Panhandle’s Child Care Program, click here: https://wspanhandle.com/child-care/

A. Wilson had many personal obstacles that stood between him and his career. Despite the obstacles, he aspired to find a job he was proud of that could support him financially.  

Wilson did not have his High School Diploma or a stable place to call home, and his background kept him from many job opportunities.

Wilson had found steady employment with a landscaping company in Amarillo. He proved to be a dependable employee, but his wages were not enough to meet his financial needs.  

That is when we first met Wilson. He visited our office and explained his situation. We connected him with one of our dedicated staff members, Fabian Talamante.  The two worked together well.

To ensure Wilson’s success, he was required to meet weekly with Fabian to search for full-time, permanent employment. Soon after meeting, Fabian arranged an opportunity for Wilson to work at a local electrician company for a short period of time with his salary being covered by Workforce Solutions Panhandle.  Wilson accepted the offer. 

He began working for the company and had the opportunity to show his talents and skills. He quickly was offered a full-time, permanent position as an Electrician Helper.

Wilson is now on the path to becoming a certified electrician. He has an apartment to call home and hopes to obtain his GED in the near future.  

Shortly after Wilson began his permanent job, he and Fabian shared an inspiring conversation over text. 

Fabian:  Wilson, could you please send me your new address so we can update our records. 

Wilson:  Yes sir you have a blessed and safe evening Fabian again from the bottom of my heart thank you for what you have done for me, it has surely without a doubt changed my life and focus.  God Bless You!  

Fabian:  No problem my brother, we all need help at times. So proud of you! 

Wilson: Thank you sir I love my job.   No doubt, they treat me like a human being and a family member.  It  has been a long,  long time since I felt that way for any one I worked for.  No doubt, it keeps me wanting to run back to work fast 😁.  Good night sir and God 🙏 Bless You!  

We first met Susana Iglesias in January of 2022. She had been looking for work since October of the prior year. Susana had experience as a dental assistant and wanted to continue doing that work.   

She was offered job interviews but was not getting job offers.  Our team was able to help her prepare for interviews and improve her resume for future applications.  

Susana utilized the available resource we have to offer. She attended our workshops, received job referrals, worked with our staff on interview skills, and was able to receive support services during her job search.   

After only 2 weeks of job search, she was offered a job at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport. The job was not in the field she was interested in but offered competitive pay. Around the same time, she interviewed with Texas Tech Health Sciences Center to work as a dental assistant again.

Susana was told that the job with Texas Tech Health Science Center may take longer to obtain due to background check requirements. She weighed her options carefully. After only a few weeks of job searching, and some help with her interview skills, Susana began working as a dental assistant again by the beginning of February 2022.    

Our team is proud to be a part of the Peer Reintegration Employment Partnership (P.R.E.P. Academy). In September of 2021, The City of Amarillo, Amarillo National Bank, Hillside Christian Church, and Workforce Solutions Panhandle began working on this project. The goal was to bring meaningful assistance to homeless individuals.

The P.R.E.P. Academy aimed to bring people from the Coming Home Program to work part-time with Amarillo Parks and Recreation Departments. This project kicked off in December 2021, when orientation for the participants took place. Twelve individuals who had all faced homelessness attended and enrolled in the program.

Prior to employment, the participants had worked with a case manager and peer support services. These services helped secure permanent housing. 

We had the opportunity to cover the cost of required uniforms and wages. The City of Amarillo then brought the participants into their Parks and Recreation Department. The Parks and Recreation Department provided the leadership and on-the-job learning needed for success.

In February of 2022, Donna, Robert, Joshua, Alfred, Dearl, and Stevi completed their part-time employment. Each received an offer for permanent positions with the City of Amarillo. All 6 participants accepted the offer and are currently employed.

20-year-old Lesly Loyola had been working as a waitress in Amarillo. She wondered if going back to school would be the right choice. After some consideration, she decided to attend Certified Nursing Assistant Training classes at Amarillo College – but she needed help.

Lesly came to our Amarillo Office in late October 2021 and spoke with Helene from our Youth Job-Training Team. CNA Classes would not begin until January 2022, so Lesly and Helene worked on a plan for the time leading up to class. Lesly was offered a 6-week Paid Internship through the Youth Job-Training. Since she was to attend classes for CNA training, she began working at Prime Medical Testing Inc., where she would gain skills that would help her in her chosen career. She also saved the money she earned to aid her while attending college.

During her time at Prime Medical, she was trained to take blood pressure and other various procedures. Lesly enjoyed her new job and responsibilities. Her supervisor was very pleased with her work and determination. When the 6 weeks of her internship were up, her supervisor offered her a full-time permanent position. Lesly enjoyed the job, so she accepted the offer. Lesly now plans to attend CNA training during the evenings.

Lesly’s new opportunity will continue to support her education and career aspirations. Our team is excited to provide her with the additional resources needed to help her succeed.

We first met David Martinez in early 2020 when he urgently needed care for his children. David is a single father who lives in Amarillo and needed child care while at work. As a single father, he was determined to provide his children with consistent and high-quality care. 

Our Child Care Team was able to assist David with his child care costs. Over the last two years, the team would reach out to David to renew his assistance and get updates about his situation. We reached out again at the beginning of this year and received an unexpected response. 

Instead of providing us with updated information this year, David informed our team that he wanted to end his assistance. The head of our Child Care Assistance Program, Frances, received the notification and called David to ask for more information. 

Frances expected to hear that he was moving or that his home situation had changed. She prepared information to help him with those common situations and to verify whether or not he still needed assistance. 

David answered the phone. Frances explained that our child care program has ways of handling changing situations if he still needed care. David responded, “Your program helped me when I needed it most. I’m on my feet now and I want you to be able to help someone else who is in need”.  Frances thanked him for his sharing his story and gave him the information he needed.

Getting to hear David Martinez share his story was inspiring for our team. We are thankful to have been a part of his success. 

To learn more about our Child Care Assistance program please click the button below(button) Click here to learn more about child care assistance

In May of 2021, Kaden H. graduated from High School with his Basic Welding Certification. Kaden had worked hard during high school to obtain this certification, but after graduating he struggled to find an employer who would hire him without on-the-job experience.  

After learning about our services, Kaden reached out to our Youth Job-Training Team for help in late October. He met with Maddi and Tammie from our youth team. They worked with him to understand what he wanted to achieve. Kaden, like many young adults his age, wanted to begin earning enough to support himself financially. 

Maddi, who is familiar with the local welding industry, was able to quickly reach out to a number of companies. Midwest Machine gladly agreed to partner with us to provide a paid internship for Kaden. Tammie then worked closely with Kaden to help him arrange what he might need to begin working. 

On November 2, Kaden began working at Midwest Machine as a welder’s assistant. We were able to cover the cost of his wages. The paid internship allowed Kaden to earn while getting the on-the-job experience he was looking for.  

Kaden’s supervisor at Midwest Machine happened to be Alex Barron. Our team met Alex in 2016. Alex helped us produce an episode of Hometown Success that highlighted welding as a promising occupation. Alex took time to give Kaden useful feedback and help him improve as a welder. During this time Kaden told Tammi that he was learning more than he expected and that he enjoyed the work. 

On the Friday before Christmas, Kaden’s paid internship came to an end. He now had both the certification and experience employers were wanting. However, Kaden did not have to search for work very long. The following Monday, Midwest Machines offered him a permanent position on their team. 

To learn more about our online career videos covering everything from welding, HVAC, nursing, and more, check out Hometown Success on our YouTube Channel: 

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.