In Lakewood, Washington, just south of Seattle, dynamic duo Instructor Shelley McHugh and Career Navigator Sara Sheldon lead the BankWork$® program with our partners Career Path Services. Shelley and Sara draw on their backgrounds in finance and human services in supporting students before, during, and after our free, eight-week comprehensive training as they learn the skills to thrive in a new career in financial services. For Shelley, that includes a career serving in the United States military and in banking. For Sara, that includes experience working at the Washington State Department of Health & Human Services. For both, the opportunity to support students going through this program is life-changing. 

Shelley and Sara believe a key part of the success of the BankWork$ program is that it teaches the industry-specific knowledge and the customer-facing skills needed to succeed and advance in careers: “For our students, BankWork$ is a package deal: it offers both the hard and soft skills they need,” says Sara.  

For both Shelley and Sara, working directly with their students and watching them grow during the training is a highlight of their jobs. “Often the person walking in the door is often not the person who walks out of the door,” says Shelley. “It’s so gratifying and exciting to hear from our graduates about milestones like promotions in their new career – and their new babies, too!”  

Like so many workforce development organizations around the country, the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented challenges and barriers to serving their community with the BankWork$ program. But working with our training partners around the country like Sara, Shelley, and Career Path Services, CareerWork$ adapted quickly, making classes virtual and creating virtual graduation celebrations and hiring fairs with local employers.

“We’re grateful we were able to pivot so quickly to virtual learning by using our Learning Management System,” recalls Shelley. “Now, information is at our students’ fingertips. It’s a great tool to help them be even better prepared for being in a bank. We’ve also learned to appreciate the value of being in person.” 

When giving advice to students considering BankWork$, Sara emphasizes that participating in BankWork$ is a smart bet for the long term. “It’s an investment that dramatically increases your chances of launching a lasting career in financial services.” 

Both Sara and Shelley are characteristically humble when talking about their work together, preferring to keep the spotlight on the graduates and their achievements. “Our graduates always thank us,” Shelley says, “but they did the hard work.” 

Career Path Services operates across Washington State, offering programs and services to help individuals and organizations meet their employment goals. Founded in 1971, their mission is to break the spirit of poverty through the dignity of work. They have been voted a top nonprofit to work for eight times in the last decade, and we are proud to partner with them to offer BankWork$ and CareerWork$ Medical.

To learn more about BankWork$ and our partnership with Career Path Services, click here. 

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Hello everyone! My name’s Austin, and I joined CareerWork$ as our Communications and Development Specialist in March! One of my favorite parts of my job is hearing from incredible participants and instructors, and sharing their success stories so others can hear about their great work. 

This week Program Manager Dion Willis and I met with the BankWork$ class at Career Path Services in South Puget Sound. We observed participants in action as they practiced cash handling and dealing with different types of customers, and we heard from guest speakers from Olympia Federal Savings.

In chatting with several participants about their experience with BankWork$, I witnessed firsthand the impact this program is making on their lives. The class brings together participants from all over the world, from Tacoma to Sierra Lione to China, around a shared interest in achieving their career goals. Instruction staff Shelley and Sara teach the skills to succeed in the financial services industry, but each participant brings their own drive, determination, and dedication.  

I look forward to seeing these participants graduate and launch careers in the coming weeks. They are not only the future of the financial services industry, but also a reminder that success can come from anywhere. 

As Dion Willis celebrates his one-year anniversary as a Program Manager with CareerWork$, he’s looking back at one of the most rewarding parts of his job: helping grow and develop CareerWork$ Ready. “It’s one of those programs that gives you not just the skills and training you need, but the confidence to know that you can do it,” he says.  

CareerWork$ Ready is the newest free job training program offered by CareerWork$ and our Training Partners. The program was created during the COVID-19 pandemic to help individuals struggling with unemployment, but has proven effective even as the labor market has steadied. Designed to serve individuals seeking their first job or those re-entering the workforce, CareerWork$ Ready focuses on both the skills to secure a job, such as a resume writing and interview practice, and the people and communication skills needed to succeed in any role. After completion, participants are prepared to interview for open roles with confidence and a renewed sense of conviction, and instructors help program participants grow professionally through personalized career coaching. 

As a former Career Navigator, Dion has personally observed the CareerWork$ Ready class at Seattle YWCA many times and has witnessed its impact on participants. He says, “I’ve seen many people get jobs from the program. It’s a beautiful thing that people want to stay in touch with me, and talk about the program and what it’s meant to them.”  

Dion tells anyone considering CareerWork$ Ready as the next step in their professional life that “you will be excited to come the next day—you are always learning something new and fresh.” Dion has also witnessed the multi-generational effects the program has on families working from home. “I love that our program means kids are seeing their parents act professionally, dressing differently, and preparing homework assignments, like their 30-second commercials introducing themselves.  We know it’s building up confidence for the whole family.” 

If you’re interested in signing up for CareerWork$ Ready, you can sign up through our website or call 833-296-7554 and we’ll connect you to a training partner closest to your location.   

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Today, CareerWork$ announced that Austin Aga has joined the team as its first-ever Communications and Development Specialist to help support its mission to provide free career training programs across the country. Austin plans to bring new ideas and communication tactics to the rapidly growing CareerWork$ markets.

“I want to help bring the inspiring success stories of CareerWork$ graduates to life.”

Austin will be providing key support and insights by communicating directly with training partners, participants, and other team members. He will be generating content to reach the various audiences in markets where CareerWork$ operates, as well as monitoring media coverage to ensure all content stays in line with the correct strategy for their respective markets.

An Oklahoma native, Austin previously worked at the non-profit organization, Infant Crisis Services as a graphic designer. He went on to focus on communication and ran social media content for several companies throughout Oklahoma. He also attended the University of Oklahoma earning a BA in Advertising. 

As a naturally curious person, Austin is always learning about new technologies and industry landscape changes to be proactive for future opportunities. He has a deep understanding of social media content creation and distribution and will ensure all CareerWork$ social media is consistent and engaging. 

In March 2022, CareerWork$ updated its website to increase ease of understanding of its main programs, BankWork$®, CareerWork$ Medical®, and CareerWork$Ready®. Austin will also update the website and ensure its consistency with social media content.

With a heart for non-profit work. Austin hopes to showcase CareerWork$ as a place of acceptance and encouragement. “This role gives me the opportunity to help set talented people up for successful careers, and I get to work with a great team who all have a shared passion for seeing others thrive, and that’s really exciting.”

Outside of work, Austin enjoys watching movies and playing drums. He is looking forward to exploring Seattle and finding the best hiking spots in Washington. He plans on continuing to travel by visiting the various cities CareerWork$ operates to understand the local cultures.

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Every graduate of any CareerWork$ program knows that what sets us apart isn’t just our industry-specific career training—it’s individual support, and direct connections to local employers looking to hire. While our Instructors bring industry experience and are responsible for leading participants through our eight-week curricula, the person responsible for helping program participants connect directly with employers is each class’s Career Navigator—part of the special sauce that makes CareerWork$ programs have such success with launching their new careers. 

Matthew Samaniego never expected that his own career path would lead to workforce development and career training. But today, Matthew Samaniego speaks passionately about his work as a Career Navigator with our Bay Area partner Fremont Adult & Continuing Education. 

For Matthew, being a Career Navigator means “working with our students one-on-one to make sure they have everything they need to succeed. We are already giving them a great curriculum with our Instructors, so my role is to meet with them individually throughout the program, and to provide that post-class support and ongoing coaching, and help connect them with employers with roles to fill.”  

As he works with participants in the BankWork$ program – as well as those considering it – Matthew emphasizes that “you’re not just getting into a job, but a career. It’s something you can do your whole life, with opportunities to advance at every step.” 

A Bay Area native, Matthew worked in customer service, logistics, and retail before joining our Bay Area partner Fremont Adult & Continuing Education in an administrative role, which he held for nearly two years. When the opportunity opened up to be a Career Navigator with the BankWork$ program, Matthew says he “jumped at the chance.” He was already familiar with BankWork$ and had seen its impact on its students firsthand. 

 Working directly with BankWork$ participants, Matthews says he cherishes the chance to “connect talented people with a real career opportunity that can transform their lives. Seeing our students really blossom into themselves and become these confident people by the end of the course is so impressive and inspiring.” 

Matthew also values building relationships with students during and after the program – and seeing them build relationships with one another. “Each class becomes a bit of a family,” Matthews says, with cohorts staying in touch via WhatsApp to send holiday greetings and celebrate each other’s new roles and promotions in their new careers.  

The COVID-19 pandemic made Matthew’s work more challenging over the past two years—a challenge experienced by all of our Instructors and Career Navigators across the country. But, like all instruction staff, Matthew and his colleagues at FACE adapted, working with CareerWork$® to launch virtual, and then hybrid, BankWork$ classes, along with virtual graduation celebrations and career fairs with employers.  

Today, Matthew loves being back in person with FACE’s BankWork$ students. But he also notes that the challenges posed by the pandemic and virtual instruction “taught us a lot, too. We can include technology skills like remote meeting and incorporate that into our curriculum. We’ve come through it stronger than ever before.”  

“You realize how much it starts to mean to you as well. I keep calling my role a job, but for me, it’s a career and a calling. I look forward to many more years working with CareerWork$.”  

Thank you, Matthew, and all the Career Navigators and Instructors who make our programs around the country so impactful!  To learn more about upcoming BankWork$ classes with Fremont Adult and Continuing Education, click here. 

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CareerWork$, a workforce development nonprofit, is excited to expand our partnership with Career Path Services to operate our CareerWork$ Medical® program in Seattle, opening doors to lasting careers through our free, eight-week career training program. Classes begin April 18, 2022, in the Northgate neighborhood of Seattle.  

CareerWork$ Medical offers participants the necessary skills for any entry-level non-clinical healthcare position with career potential, including appointment schedulers, patient service representatives, patient navigator, medical receptionist, and more. After eight weeks of intensive training, participants attend a combined graduation ceremony and hiring fair to interview for open positions with local employer partners. Graduates also receive ongoing coaching and job placement support.  

CareerWork$ Medical is currently offered in three cities across the United States, with more expected to open in 2022. CareerWork$ Medical was last offered in Seattle in early 2020 before pausing during the pandemic; this relaunch is an exciting opportunity to connect participants eager to start careers with the increased opportunities in healthcare, and connect employers with open roles with talent.  

The class in Seattle runs through early June, with two additional cohorts offered later this year. Classes are three days per week, and this will be a hybrid course, helping students gain experience with digital remote tools. Eligible applicants must be 18 years old or older, have a high school diploma or GED, have English literacy, and six months customer service experience.  Thanks to support from The Sheri & Les Biller Family Foundation, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Urban Research Park, and others, this program is free for all participants.  

Since 2018, CareerWork$ and Career Path Services have partnered to offer BankWork$, a CareerWork$ program advancing careers in banking and financial services, in the South Puget Sound area.  

“We are delighted to expand our partnership with CareerWork$ to Seattle and CareerWork$ Medical, and together bring non-clinical healthcare training to Seattle,” said Cami Eakins, Chief Executive Officer of Career Path Services. “Our shared commitment to empowering people, enhancing the workforce, and enriching communities is a strong foundation for this work.”  

“Working with Career Path Services to relaunch CareerWork$ Medical in Seattle is a natural fit,” said Ranko Fukuda, CareerWork$ Director of Programs. “We are so appreciative of their partnership in South Puget Sound on our BankWork$ program, and are thrilled to bring that partnership to Seattle.  We know there is huge demand for talented, trained individuals looking to launch careers in non-clinical healthcare settings, particularly in this region, and this is really the perfect time to bring our program back—we are hitting the ground running!” 

CareerWork$ is a workforce development nonprofit with the mission of connecting young adults from under-resourced communities to stable, lasting careers through free training, and building partnerships advancing equitable economic stability.   

Are you an employer interested in supporting the CareerWork$ Medical$ program and recruiting great talent to help serve the diverse healthcare needs of your communities? Contact us at info@careerworksmedical.org.  

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