Success Stories
Ronda Umbel
November 20, 2020
Ronda came to the Garrett County office of the Western Maryland Consortium in late 2019 seeking a skills upgrade to increase her income and job opportunities. She was a dislocated worker struggling through inconsistent part time jobs and had been affected by the opioid epidemic relying on public assistance to get by in life. After receiving career counseling and information on WIOA funding from the staff at WMC, Ronda decided to train for her CDL A license to earn a better living.
Read MoreBryson Brill
October 21, 2020
Bryson Brill entered the Summer Youth Program through the Western Maryland Consortium in June of 2020 as a recent high school graduate with limited employability skills. He had worked a part time job with no room for growth and he realized he wanted more for his life. With a strong interest in the automotive industry, Bryson’s career counselor through the Consortium was able to secure a paid work experience for him as an Auto Detailer at the Patriot Automotive Group located at 2499 Maryland...
Read MoreNicole 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....
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