By IEC employees
Start with a good idea. Start collecting the necessary pieces and put them in the movement. Then get out of the road when things start in the gel!
Natasha Sherwood, Executive Director of IEC Florida West Coast, has seen this process when she was dreaming of working in the state detention centers in the state to train electricity. Growth from the need to fill the skilled and heart pipeline for the second opportunities, this idea was launched.
“I am one of these people who believe that God puts the right people in the right place at the right time,” says Natasha. “We were already working with the Florida Ministry of Corrections to determine potential job tracks with people out of the system. I often felt“ if we only could get this program for young people … ”it was surprising to me how I continued to find people to help In achieving this.
Today, the first student in this program was released from detention, successfully interviewed for a job, and continues to train him proudly in the IEC vocational training program.
From the idea to reality
Natasha is still in a fairly terrifying state that opportunities have continued to open up and seem to help people make this dream a reality. The first was Rob Aguis. Natasha and Rob via the first paths when he was the director of the campus in one of the technical colleges where the chapter trains vocational training. He retired from there, but they continued to cross the tracks through their activities in the Job Education Association at the Association of Job Education. It was simultaneously in July 2023.
Natasha recalls: “We were ever attached to the phone and asked Rob about what it was these days,” Natasha recalls. He said he was preparing to move to a position with the Ministry of Justice. I told him this amazing! ”
Rob was the director of the Justice Department of Events (DJJ) in post -secondary education and workforce. Through her role as head of the Florida Industrial Satisfaction Association, Natasha was working with the Florida Ministry of Reform, who is trying to take care of adults to leave the prison and enter the stage of overseeing the discovery of what they wanted to do and help them find work.
“We use a platform called Jobtimize, which mainly helps people discover the types of work as they will be appropriate,” says Natasha. “Rob told what I really like to do is put this program in DJJ to help young people.”
Natasha says that the two discussed enthusiastically how this program could look and what they could do. Rob asked Natasha to put a proposal for him. I did so, and over the course of the most famous Rob worked with the appropriate teams in DJJ, including Deputy Minister of DJJ Adrienne Campbell, who challenged them with additional questions, suggestions and requests. Natasha cooperated with many others, especially the Florida Commercial Academy, which had experience in providing the Electrical Information Authority program, to know the best ways to provide training, the place of conducting classrooms, who will be achieved, how they can be evaluated, and more.
Then on Friday, March 22, 2024, Natasha received a call from Rob.
He said to me, “Well, I have advanced. Can we start on Monday? “I am like…. On Monday? Monday, 72 hours from now? Implementation.
Immediately, Natasha was linked to her contacts at the Florida Commercial Academy. They said yes to the two. She called former IEC coach Sarah Hai, who participated in planning discussions on this new program. She said yes to the two. Perhaps yes, in this process, he is the only young man within the Ministry of Justice for events who wanted to receive electrical training.
“We have achieved this for virtual education for three days a week for three hours,” says Natasha. “That first class included the young man, Sarah, Rob, Brandi Gonzalez and Lennett Parsiich from the Florida Commercial Academy, Matthew W. Paul to re -consult, and I am. This is the best coach for the student’s percentage that you will find at all!”
Young
The opening student turned into 20 months in the program. However, according to his coach, Sarah Hai, he “grew” in several ways besides life in the short time they were in the classroom. Mostly, he grew to believe in himself, as she says.
“Working with this young man is actually one of my most prominent careers,” Sarah says. “It’s really.”
A Sarah’s profession is full of experience and achievement. It is a major electrical and obtained a Master of Business Administration from Maryland University. She started her career at the National Security Agency in Maryland, was recruited at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics, then she moved to College College. Sarah is connected for the first time with IEC as IEC Chessapeake coach.
“One of the things I always admired in the electrical industry is that today electricity is the same electricity a hundred years ago,” she says. “And if I can teach the players to do this, you can definitely teach me. I have always had a passion for changing novels and watching the faces of students and their expressions when they come to the classroom and see their teacher an American woman of African origin.”
While working with IEC Chessapeek, Sarah had had the opportunity to participate in the juvenile justice program as young people had to have an academic plan and the training before the cylinder was part of it.
She recalls: “Knowing some basic skills, knowing the tools of hand and power, and understanding OSHA 10 has changed the space, and the safety that led to changing their lives.” They were teaching and they learned life skills. If you have skills, you can go on a building site, you can follow the instructions, you can be on time, and you can meet the supervisor’s expectations on the fourth floor that asked you to go down to the truck and return the crescent pain. “
When Sarah moved to Florida on her “first” retirement, she was in contact with Natasha and started teaching in the IEC program. When I learned that they were trying to collect a program with the Ministry of Justice in Florida, similar to what she lived in Maryland, she shared her knowledge with Natasha. When it comes to fruits, Sarah was ready.
“Sometimes, we, as teachers, see something in students who do not see them in themselves,” Sarah says. “When they start seeing it, my to me, the feeling is great. Participation comes. Body language changes. They are starving to get information; they want more. I have a red, white and blue card, so I am old for Medicare, but I just continue to work because the Lord is It enables me to pour the life of individuals who can get life skills, develop, make themselves better, make themselves better, make themselves, make them better, and make them always have a job if they wake up and go to work. “
Sarah is grateful for being able to work with this young man – first while he was imprisoned and now after he left the facility and followed his career. She taught the electrical side of things, and supported the efforts of the job trainer.
“We started with basic learning and moved to an electric specialty,” Sarah explains. “When it is time to assess what he learned and the young man said,” Mrs. Sarah, I am ready for the final test, “The attachment was allowed to me as coach, Florida Commercial Academy partners, and DJJ representatives at hand and witness, where the young man used manual tools, use energy tools. We have gone. Indeed, a project – a horse – in the facility and make me well built.
From the beginnings of “small” …
When Natasha and Sarah talks about this opening program, the only “small” thing about this is the size of one student category. Each possible feature has been exploited from many of the established agencies, and hours and hours of property rights were poured into launch.
Results, however, great.
The young man was released and continued his electrical career. During his detention and learning in the opening program, he tested and received a NCCER CORE certificate and the 1st Electricity 1st Electricity Courses started. Because of this success in the opening program, the Florida Ministry of Justice chose to continue the program that works through the Florida Commercial Academy and was about 10 young people who participated in the services that begin in January 2025.
Also, in December 2024, DJJ gave the green light to develop full industrial discipline programs in all its 49 sites not only in electricity, but also in craftsmanship, solar energy, full stack (web development), and manufacturing. Confidence was obtained, the value was seen, and progress continued.
“When we jumped to this, we did not even know what the final program would be,” says Natasha. “The appearance and feeling changed greatly from what we thought first, but the result remains the same. We have found many resources and people ready to flow to some children the idea that they may have a better chance when going out. This is exactly what we wanted!”
Three steps for success
Use Jobtimize To assess the job fields where the candidate is “appropriate”
Providing education and training installed for electricity with the IEC curriculum
Display Vametric Saleh recorded 8 of the achievements, including the video that shows the learning students’ performance skills
“People who have been imprisoned have a lot of stacks against them,” says Natasha. “If you are trying to put people with one of my intercourse, I want to be able to say that they will be good electricians. Jobtimize tells me that they have a fungal DNA to be good electricians. Then, we give them this amazing education that has proven its feasibility through IEC. Imam by documenting what they were able to learn digitally so that the contractors can see their skills.
