For Arthur, Short-Term Training Unlocked a Meaningful Career Path
Arthur
Merit America Graduate
Merit America Graduate
![A man with a beard taking a selfie in a warehouse.](https://socialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IMG_20230926_104919776-scaled-e1707936378710-948x1000.jpg")
Short-Term Training Helped Allen Land an In-Demand Job
Impact Investments, Workforce & Economic Mobility
A navy veteran living in rural Idaho, Allen had experience in many different roles and fields. In July of 2022, he was working as a commercial truck driver and feeling unsatisfied with his work. One day, scrolling through a job board, he saw a posting for Learning Alliance Corporation (LAC): a telecommunications school in Tampa, FL offering short-term job training programs and room and board during training.
Soon, Allen was on a plane to Tampa, where he moved into LAC’s dorm and began an intensive fiber splicing course.
“I was there to get an education, and that’s what they gave me,” said Allen. “Every time they would give us a lecture, then we would go and do it. That level of instruction, that level of hands-on practice, was by far the best that I’ve ever seen.”
A few weeks into the program, Allen began to search for jobs. The Learning Alliance placement team encouraged him to apply to roles he hadn’t previously seen or considered. Soon, he had a first-round interview for a fiber technician role with Network Connects, a division of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
Allen finished training and flew home on a Sunday. That Tuesday, he had a job offer.
I can now splice fiber, which is a very in demand job. Everything here has opened for me.Allen, Learning Alliance Career Impact Bond Graduate
Today, Allen loves his job. He works four tens (four ten-hour days), from six am to four pm, and has Friday through Sunday off. By his estimate, he’s earning $25,000 more a year than he was before he enrolled in training.
“I’m making great money, great benefits,” said Allen. “I can now splice fiber, which is a very in demand job. Everything here has opened for me.”
Allen credits LAC’s Career Impact Bond with putting this opportunity within reach. When he started training, he had been out of the military for too long to quality for the GI Bill, and he did not have the credit to qualify for LAC’s standard financing. The Career Impact Bond’s inclusive criteria and student-friendly design made his LAC journey possible.
“Everything has worked out. I feel that I’m very blessed and very appreciative of what I have.”