By:  Jacob Groves

Michelle Swift is well on her way to a promising career in the healthcare industry thanks to the quality job training she received at Muhlenberg Job Corps. Swift has completed the Certified Nurse Assistant program, earning the following credentials: Phlebotomy Technician, Home Health Aide, HIPPA Certification, and Basic Life Support (CPR) Certification.

She also has developed leadership skills, serving as dorm leader, president of Health Advocates, a member of the Youth2Youth organization and currently the secretary of the Student Government Association at Muhlenberg Job Corps. Those leadership skills have mentally prepared her for the next leg on her job training journey.

She currently is attending Madisonville Community College through Muhlenberg Job Corps’ Advanced Career Training partnership with the college. In addition to her general studies classes needed for an associate degree, she also is working to secure two additional certifications: Electrocardiogram Technician and Certified Medical Assistant. Swift enrolled at Muhlenberg Job Corps when she finished high school because she knew she could neither afford nor was mentally ready for college. But she understood that she needed to continue her education past high school if she wanted a successful career in the healthcare field.

Muhlenberg Job Corps offered her what she needed — job training, the opportunity to earn nationally recognized credentials, room and board, a solid support system and the opportunity to attend college all at no cost to herself.

In thinking about her Job Corps experience, Swift says honestly, “It’s hard, and definitely not for everybody. However, Job Corps is what pushed me to that next level to become a better employee, and has pushed me to not settle for anything less than my ultimate goals.”