Supportive Services at SLATE Help Build a New Life

Edith Hernendez relocated to the City of St. Louis from Los Angeles with her husband in November of 2012. As with many jobseekers entering a new market, she found it difficult to match her background with the available opportunities.

Edith heard about SLATE, stopped by and enrolled. It was obvious to the staff there that Edith had the necessary skills to go to work immediately. Edith, bilingual and a trained and certified phlebotomist, was immediately assigned by SLATE to an Employment and Training Advisor (ETA), who was able to match her with several viable job leads and assist with simple yet critical changes to her resume. During the discussion, Edith asked if her husband could benefit from our services - a certified forklift operator, he too was finding it difficult to identify employment opportunities. Within a few days, both Edith and her husband DeMon Tyler were working with the ETA to focus their job searches and find employers with an immediate need for their respective skill sets.

As 2013 approached, Edith informed SLATE that she had received an offer from BJC as a part time phlebotomist and would begin shortly after the first of 2013. Within days of the new year, an opportunity also arose for DeMon, who was offered an immediate position with an organization extremely pleased with his qualifications. Even more good news arrived shortly thereafter when Edith’s position was increased to full time!

DeMon stopped by the CWE location to personally express his gratitude for the professionalism and encouragement he and his wife experienced as they build a new life for themselves in St. Louis. They are representative of the many thousands of families SLATE assists annually through job search assistance, workshops and supportive services.