“We have more than 250 people working on our center,” advised San Diego Job Corps Human Resources Manager David Kopfer, “and we encourage our graduates to apply for positions here. Norma Morado and Vanessa Flores are our newest employees as they both completed the Job Corps program this year.  Our graduates are employed in almost in every department on center.”

Norma and Vanessa enrolled in Job Corps in 2011, and became friends while enrolled in the Office Administration Career Technical Training program.  When they graduated this year, Norma was hired as an Administrative Assistant in the Counseling Department and Vanessa as an Administrative Assistant in the Center Standards and Incentives Department.  Both said they enjoyed their experience being students which led them to pursue employment at Job Corps.

Vanessa is the mother of three children, and is originally from Long Beach, CA. “I received excellent training from my  Office Administration instructor Gigi Cochran, and when I completed the course, she encouraged me to apply for the Administrative Assistant position.  I enjoy helping people, so working at Job Corps is very enjoyable for me.  My goal is to teach on center in the future.”

“Gigi Cochran was also a great influence on me,” advised Norma, who has one child, and grew up in San Ysidro.  “Job Corps has a Work-Based Learning program which allowed me to get practical experience working as an Administrative Assistant in the Counseling Department.  I found that I enjoyed the job, and when the position opened up, Ms. Gigi also encouraged me to apply for the position.  Shortly after I graduated, I was hired.”  Norma will be enrolling in college soon, while working at Job Corps.  In the future, she also plans to continue working at Job Corps as a counselor.

“I think it says a lot about our staff and program that many of our graduates want to work here when they graduate,” David Kopfer continued.  “They come to the job with knowledge of our program, and the enthusiasm to work with the other members  of our staff to help our students achieve success.”