Career Services Partnership With Catholic Charities Helps Man Land Job

Career Services Partnership With Catholic Charities Helps Man Land Job

Owosso – Michael Sutton began working with Career Services in October 2019. Right away, he was entered into the Offender Success program through the GSTMW! partnership with Catholic Charities. Michael was seeking assistance with obtaining full-time employment.  He also expressed a desire to return to school and obtain a degree in some type of social work.  He was concerned with obtaining suitable full-time employment and his ability to attend school due to his background. 

Michael attended several appointments with his Career Coach, setting goals and receiving assistance and support in accomplishing his goals. Michael completed the Workplace Excellence Workshop Series and received assistance from The Family Literacy Center onsite at GSTMW, as he prepared for a possible college experience.  With many barriers to overcome before beginning school, due to his parole, he was unable to attend Mott Community College on campus. Through the GSTMW/Family Literacy Center partnership, Michael was able to gain the skills needed to complete placement testing and navigate online courses. While continuing to keep his long-term goal of full-time employment in mind, Michael set the short-term goal of part-time employment while attending school full-time.

By the end of December 2019, Michael completed all requirements in the Offender Success Program and was awarded his Certificate of Completion. The next day, Michael obtained employment with The Dollar Tree and began working 28 hours per week at minimum wage. GSTMW was able to assist Michael with clothing to begin his new employment. One year later, Michael advanced into a new position at a different company making several more dollars per hour.

“My struggle was months of overcoming baggage and learning how to survive in a technological world foreign to me. Utilizing the computer lab, Family Literacy, a job fair, a career coach, and the Workplace Excellence Workshop training helped me practice personal skills and update technical knowledge.

When given an opportunity to work, it only took a couple of weeks for my employer to recognize my preparedness and performance. I came to GST Michigan Works! in just about the worst-case scenario you could imagine, but not a single person in the building thought twice about welcoming me and going out of their way to help me any way they could.” – Michael Sutton