After relocating from Washington State, William, a post-911 era veteran visited the OhioMeansJobs center in Knox county in search of work. Prior to moving to Ohio, William was an aircraft propulsion journeyman, working for a government contractor overseas. His most recent position utilized the aircraft mechanic experience he obtained during his U.S. Air Force career. He met with Employment Professional Glenn and explained the challenges he faced with balancing family time with his overseas deployment-type work every year. He expressed that he would like to find something closer to home in order to spend more time with his family. After more conversation, Glenn and William went into the resource room to search for aircraft mechanic-related opportunities on OhioMeansJobs.com. After some searching, they found that most of the openings in the area required the applicant to have a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) mechanic license which William did not have. That same day, Glenn connected him to both a Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) partner and with Lisa, the Disabled Veteran Outreach Program (DVOP) Specialist to seek assistance in funding this certification for him. Glenn also invited William to his resume workshop the following week. William attended and was very pleased with the “all hands-on deck” approach of assisting him overcome his employment barriers.

Lisa referred William to a military veterans’ transition program with a Columbus-based airline company where they could help him get his FAA A&P mechanic license through a two-week training program. Lisa did some research and informed William that the Columbus training program had just posted.  William stated that he would get on it immediately. The same day he applied, he was contacted for an interview and was accepted into the program. The employer also notified him of their job offer pending the completion of his training and obtaining his A&P license. Soon after, he was flown out to Texas and put up in a hotel while in training. William has since obtained his A&P license and has started work for the airline company out of John Glenn Columbus International Airport. He makes $22.50 per hour and received a $6,000 sign on bonus and $3,100 towards purchasing a toolbox.  He stated that the bonus will help him and his family tremendously as they wait for their house in Washington State to be sold. William shared that he appreciates the OhioMeansJobs Knox County team helping him find a good job that allows him to spend more time with his family.

Top Ohio Careers:

• Manager
• Customer Service Representative
• Industrial Maintenance Mechanic
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• Sales Representative
• Security Officer
• Project Manager
• Local/Delivery Driver
• Electronics Technician
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