On October 5, 2005, Anthony Greger completed his training in Auto Body Collision Repair and Paint at Springdale Job Corps Center. Anthony had participated in work-based learning while in training and that lead directly to a job. Eleven years later, Anthony still works for the same company and has become a valuable addition to the team.

Anthony graduated from high school and was working, but wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. His family encouraged him to consider Job Corps and when he found out about the Auto Body program at Springdale, he decided he would apply. “I love cars and knew I wanted to work on them,” he said. “I was working at a shop already, but I didn’t have the skills I needed to really move up. That’s why I decided to go to Springdale. I knew I would get certifications that would help me be an actual technician.”

While the Employment Specialist that worked with Anthony has since moved on from Springdale, Tom Reed, the current specialist, is not surprised at all that Anthony’s work-based learning site became an employer site. “That’s the goal, really,” Tom explained. “When an Auto Body student begins their work-based learning, I hope they’ll end up walking straight in to a job when they finish here.” That transition takes hard work on all sides; the students, Tom, and instructors Cy Nelson and Matt Sullivan, all work toward the same goal. “I work closely with the student to make sure I’m placing them at a site that’s a good fit and will ultimately get them closer to their career goals,” continued Tom. “Clearly that happened with Anthony. I visited that site again and was thrilled to talk to a graduate who had found the perfect fit for his long term plan.”

Anthony agrees. “I got so much out of it. I’m doing exactly what I knew I wanted to do. The overall experience was great and I would recommend it to anyone looking to further their goals.” When asked what his favorite part was, he said, “Living on center. It was fun and it offers a great chance to try out being on your own.”

Anthony recently got married and looks forward to being with his employer for a long time. We are proud of Anthony and are excited to have been a part of his journey!