Name: DeAndre Jackson
Age: 25
Center: Cleveland Job Corps
Region: Chicago
Hometown: Cleveland, OH
Career Area: Carpentry
Dates in JC: September 2015 – January 2017
Employer: Donley’s Construction Company
Position: Service Hand
DeAndre Jackson knows the Job Corps program all too well. His father worked at Cleveland Job Corps Center as the Vocational Director from 1997 to 1999; before relocating to the Treasure Island Job Corps Center in Hercules, CA, to be the Center Director. Similarly, Jackson’s brother Christopher Moore completed the Carpentry program at Job Corps as well.

In 2009, after graduating from Hercules High School in Hercules, CA, Jackson decided to return to his native Cleveland home. After years of working dead-end jobs with no opportunities for advancement, he decided to enroll in Cleveland Job Corps.

He enrolled in the carpentry trade where he learned how to operate various tools with precision. Jackson also enjoyed constructing mock houses and participating in Career Technical Skills Training (CTST) projects that included: building a small vehicle carport and installing a roof on a storage garage. “My instructors were always upfront and straightforward with us, I respect that,” stated Jackson. “I also appreciate their patience and ability to articulate instructions.” Jackson was also involved in the student leadership program, serving as President of G-Dorm for 8 months.

Jackson works as a service hand at Donley’s Construction Company performing equipment maintenance and inventory. In the Spring, he will transition into the union working in concrete construction. Over the next 5 years, his goal is to become a General Carpenter Foreman while getting back into school to start working towards a construction management degree. “Don’t worry about what people think about you, it’s what you know about yourself that is important,” advises Jackson.