Six local Job Corps students participated in the Workforce Investment Agency tele-conference yesterday to discuss the program with the media.
WIA helps Job Corps reach out, admit and assist youth 16 to 24 years old to avail of career technical training areas and help dropouts get their high school diploma.
To date, WIA case manager Frances Torres said there over 20 CNMI youths who are in the program.
Victor Rivera, 23, and Shiela Okaruru, 20, were high school dropouts when they joined the Job Corps.
“It cost me nothing and the training is challenging,” Rivera said as he recounted how he finished his one-year maintenance technician engineering course in 2008.
He is now applying for a college scholarship to pursue a career in engineering.
Okaruru, for her part, said she is now ready to pursue a career in business management.
A dropout from Marianas High School, she was advised by an MHS counselor to seek WIA’s help. WIA then gave her the opportunity to attend the Job Corps program in Oahu, Hawaii where she completed a one-year training in business while finishing her high school there.
“It was a good opportunity. People my age should take advantage of the Job Corps because everything is for free,” she said.
Okaruru will register with the Career .
Development Institute of Northern Marianas College so she can further develop her skills. She plans to get a bachelor’s degree and become an office manager someday.
Brett Seman finished his automotive and machine repair training in Hawaii.
In the next two weeks, he will head to Clearfield, Utah to attend an advance training program in automotive.
“I want to open my own auto shop in the future,” Seman said.
Witzer Cabrera, 23, of Tinian also completed his Job Corps training in Hawaii.
He plans to return to Hawaii where a job with a tourism-oriented company is waiting for him.
The two other Job Corps students are Rota’s Orville Manglona and his brother Ignacio.
