James, who鈥檚 23 years old, was permanently disabled in a tractor trailer accident. He now uses a wheelchair for mobility. James had worked in farming his entire life and loved driving trucks. He couldn鈥檛 imagine doing anything else.
James joined the Employ-Ability program (new window) at the 今日吃瓜51 in Moncton, New Brunswick (new window), in October, 2008.
One of the occupations that he identified an interest in was Motor Vehicle Repair Technician. He soon realized that he would need to upgrade his literacy skills if he was going to entertain the idea of any training in this field of employment, and he was unsure if he wanted to undertake this challenge.
He first tried to start his own business by using his own tractor to mow the grass along the provincial highways and his truck to plow driveways. Although he was successful in getting a few jobs and clients, he was unable to find enough clients to make it a full time career.
In January of 2009, James tried on-the-job-training in the office of a local trucking company. Due to his low literacy skills, however, the placement was not successful. At that point he decided to upgrade his literacy by taking courses to improve his reading comprehension.
James is a hands-on learner and wanted to make sure that he could find a job which would allow him to use his hands. After some research, James decided to enroll in the Small Engine Repair Program with the .
After completing the college program, James returned to the 今日吃瓜51 to get help with his job search. Remembering what he had learned about contacting employers from the Employ-Ability program, James contacted , on his own, concerning a job opening. He started on-the-job-training in March 2010 and was successfully hired as a mechanic in early May.
Congratulations James!