Success Stories
Nicole Norris
June 30, 2020
Nicole relocated from Texas to Allegany County to be closer to her family. Once established in her new home, Nicole began investigating job search/job training opportunities. Nicole discovered the Western Maryland Consortium, and she immediately applied to explore the options provided by the WIOA Program. Nicole was registered and assessed for appropriate services by Gail Groves, Career Counselor at the Western Maryland Consortium.
Read MoreGregory Baker
June 29, 2020
Many squander opportunity, but not Gregory Baker. Greg had a second chance and he has taken full advantage of it. In his teens he began to experiment with drugs, and eventually became addicted. This lifestyle eventually led him to prison, where he had time to think and make decisions that would have to be walked out once he was released. After his release from prison, he immediately located a faith community in Garrett County that would not only support his decisions made in prison, but also...
Read MoreJohn Lease & Devin Holbrook
May 13, 2020
On April 30, 2019 Verso Corporation announced the closure of the Luke, MD paper manufacturing plant. It wasn’t long before John Lease and Devin Holbrook contacted the Western Maryland Consortium. John registered with the Garrett County office and Devin registered with the Allegany County Office. John’s and Devin’s goals were to use their previous experiences in production and to obtain new skills with industry recognized credentials. They received Consortium Displaced Worker funding and...
Read MoreRenee Lantz
April 23, 2020
Garrett County resident Renee Lantz came to the Western Maryland Consortium in the Summer of 2019 ready to make a career change that would benefit her future. She had a clear goal of becoming Certified in Medical Coding and Billing, but needed some financial assistance to achieve that goal. Renee and her husband have a young family they are raising and it just wasn’t possible for her to go into her training program at Garrett College without the support and financial assistance of the Western...
Read MoreDenis Ayers
April 23, 2020
Serving the general public in Allegany, Garrett and Washington counties, the Western Maryland Consortium is a regional workforce development agency. We strive to help workers improve their skills and find employment, leading to self-sufficiency as quickly as possible. Skilled training is provided to those with a demonstrated need and is aligned with the skill shortages that have been reported by local employers.
Read MoreZaira Rodriguez
March 23, 2020
Zaira is a Career Pathways participant that has successfully been progressing through all of her steps towards completing the Certified Medicine Aide Certification program at HCC. What is truly remarkable is that Zaira first became my client in November 2018 and not once did she lose sight of her many goals.
Read MoreBarry Upole
March 3, 2020
Barry Upole has always been willing to work hard as he proved while working on his family’s farm growing up in Garrett County, MD. Now with a young family of his own to support, Barry knew he wanted to secure a great future for them. He contacted the Garrett County office of the Western Maryland Consortium in January 2019 ready to make a change and take the first step towards his future.
Read MoreJohn Martin
March 3, 2020
John Martin has been known in the community as a young man with a strong work and moral ethic. Because of this, a local business owner focused on designing and crafting canoes contacted the Western Maryland Consortium Garrett County office when he had a job opening at their workshop in Oakland, Maryland. The business known as Savage River is a small family owned operation that has international outreach because it ships custom canoes around the world, including to Great Britain and Australia....
Read MoreMike Kessell
March 13, 2019
Mike Kessell registered with the Allegany County Office of the Western Maryland Consortium with the intent of pursuing a training program that would provide not just a job but a career. He discovered that Allegany College of Maryland was offering a course in Shielded Metal Arc Welding. Mike was approved for WIOA dislocated worker funding and began the traininig in the fall of 2018. Mike completed the class in January of 2019 and immediately obtained employment with the Western Maryland Scenic...
Read MoreAmanda Lloyd
March 8, 2019
Amanda Lloyd, a certified phlebotomist, received on the job training at Garrett Regional Medical Center through Western Maryland Consortium’s Work Experience Program. Through participating in the two-month program, she gained hands-on experience that enabled her to land a full-time position working in GRMC’s lab department. With prior experience in the healthcare field, Amanda went back to school at Garrett College to receive phlebotomy training and certification. Through her training, she...
Read More