Sometimes, something as simple as a flier can change your life. Philadelphia native Marc Stokes knew he wanted to pursue a career in a technical field but hadn’t decided how he would go about it. That’s when he saw a flier for Job Corps and learned that he could receive his training and education free of charge.
“I attribute a lot of my success to Job Corps,” Marc said. “It was a huge blessing to me.”
When Marc arrived at the Philadelphia Job Corps Center, he chose the health care field and trained as a pharmacy technician. He says that his experience on campus was a surreal one, mostly because he didn’t expect to learn so much about his new field in such a quick time frame. He received hands-on and academic training in pharmaceuticals and earned the credentials he would need to succeed on his career path, including passing his Certified Pharmacy Technician exam on the first try. Job Corps even enabled him to get his driver’s license.
On top of his career training, Marc also learned countless life skills that he still uses throughout his daily life. “I am a lot more patient, outgoing, confident, and my work ethic has improved,” he said.
Job Corps also helped him with his time management skills, so he could better balance his studies with his work-based learning placement at the outpatient pharmacy at Temple University Hospital. Marc credits a lot of his achievements to the teachers and mentors who helped him along his way and empowered him to continue his momentum even after he left campus.
Since graduating in February 2020, Marc has been working full time as an inpatient pharmacy technician at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. There, he works with licensed pharmacists to ensure that hospital patients receive the medications they need. Thanks to his free education at Job Corps, Marc is saving to buy his own home and expects to do that in 2022—a remarkable accomplishment for someone who is only 20 years old.
One thing Marc wishes he’d known before he joined Job Corps? Just how early he could have enrolled. Job Corps accepts qualifying students as young as 16 years old and up to age 24.
“Job Corps was a wonderful experience, a memorable time of my life, and above all else a blessing to me and my family,” Marc said. “I couldn’t have asked for more.”
Graduated from Job Corps in: February 2020 Employer: Pharmacy Technician at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Phone: 215-294-0350 Email: mstokes1229@aol.com Submitted by: Hannah Purdy Notes:
Salary: $20.63/hour