“I am proud of Vasiti and what she has accomplished in a very short period of time,” advised San Diego Job Corps Career Transition Specialist Francesca Whitehead.  “She enrolled at our center last July and entered our Pharmacy Technician program, which she completed in September.  The following month Vasiti began her externship at the Imperial Beach CVS Pharmacy on Saturn Boulevard and was hired as a full-time employee a short time later.  Throughout her enrollment at Job Corps Vasiti was a serious student and committed herself fully to the training Job Corps offered her.”

Vasiti Takataka is originally from the San Francisco Bay area and is married with one child.  She enrolled in the third Pharmacy Techinican class offered by the San Diego Center.  The Pharmacy Technician program is part of the center’s School of Health Care, which includes the Certifitied Nursing Assistant program.  Both Career Technical Training programs have expanded during the past few years to provide more career opportunities for students in the Health Care field.

“I enjoyed my externship at CVS and was fortunate to have the opportunity to apply for a Pharmacy Technician position as I completed my extenship,” Vasiti stated.  “It’s a busy pharmacy, my co-workers are very helpful, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know a lot of our clients.”

Vasiti will be enrolling in college this fall to pursue a career in the medical field, perhaps as a pharmacist or a doctor.  She expressed her appreciation to Job Corps for the excellent training she received and praised Ms. Whitehead for being “very helpful” to her.   “She helped me every step of the way,” Vasiti added.

Vasiti’s supervisor, CVS Pharmacy Manager Patrick Sison spoke highly of Vasiti.  “She performed very well during her externship,” he stated.  “When a position opened, I offered her the job. Vasiti  is a good employee with excellent customer service skills.”  Sison was impressed with the training Vasiti received at Job Corps.  “I would definitely hire another Job Corps graduate if another position opens in our pharmacy.”

“We have an excellent relationship with CVS Pharmacy and hundreds of other employers throughout the county who have hired our students,” advised San Diego Job Corp’s Career Transition Services Manager Joe Guiffre.  “We offer students 17 different areas of Career Technical Training along career pathways in Healthcare, Construction, Information Technology, Business, and Hospitality.  Our graduates are well-prepared to pursue their respective careers.”  Guiffre asks that prospective employers  contact him or Job Corps’ Business Community Liaison Frank Buttino at (619) 429.8500 for information regarding Job Corps student employment.  “Vasiti is an excellent example of our graduates excelling in their jobs,” he added.