Meet Joshua
Kansas - Meet Joshua
Workforce Success Story Submitted By: Kansas WorkforceONE
Workforce Challenge
Joshua is a combat veteran with three deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Since his return, Joshua found tremendous difficulty in adjusting back to civilian life and consequently struggled to locate and maintain employment. Joshua was referred to KansasWORKS by the local VA office to assist with employment activity. He had attempted to work in traditional manufacturing, but was unsuccessful.
Workforce Solution
Because of his PTSD and heightened anxiety, being in large crowds is not a conducive environment. After being unemployed for almost a year, Joshua began losing hope and had contemplated suicide, and as a direct result, was hospitalized. The Employment Specialist met with Joshua’s VA therapy team and together it was determined that he would do better where he was working in a small group or by himself. The Employment Specialist approached a local employer (Underground Cavern Stabilization) about employment options for Joshua. Because of the complexity of the job and Joshua not having the identified skill set, they were hesitant. Employment Specialist suggested On-the-Job Training funds to train and leverage costs to which they agreed.
Outcomes & Benefits
Joshua works alongside two other individuals and has taken the lead in Class 5 Emplacement Well Operations and with Valve Control Operations. Joshua has been employed since October 2016 and is doing extremely well.
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