Student Stories

Brandon Anderson studied music and vocal performance with dreams of becoming an opera singer. But with a sluggish economy and orchestras barely hanging on, he went in search of other work. He unexpected found a new audience to inspire when he became a job coach for people with disabilities. His work earned him a spot in the Workforce Development Professional Apprenticeship Program.

Ira Ayers played football in high school and college and later coached a high school football team. He was a natural in his career as a job coach, but he never received formal training until the Sacramento Employment and Training Agency (SETA) selected him for the Workforce Development Professional Apprenticeship Program. And there, he discovered his ability to “grow and change.”

As Megan Bailey went through the Workforce Development Professional Apprenticeship Program, her background as a graphic artist and her nine years as a job coach paid off. Before the program ended, the California Workforce Association (CWA) hired her and two other apprentices as program managers to handle workforce development issues on a statewide level. 

At 45, Victor Moreno led a comfortable life in Chile as an operations director for his country’s second-largest wine producer. He managed three factories, traveled to wine regions around the world and got engaged. And then he decided to quit his job.

“My dream was to study English” in America and get a master’s degree in business, Victor explained to his family and friends. And to his fiancée. “It was a big decision to move to the U.S.,” he said, and a huge sacrifice on her part.