Dislocated worker uses retail experience in new career.
Peter lost his job in late 2017 when Brennan’s Market closed all five locations. He connected with the WorkSmart Network through Rapid Response for assistance exploring careers outside the retail industry.
At first Peter was unsure of his next step. But when he heard about the services available to him through the DWG Retail Grant, he decided to continue his education.
With tuition assistance from WorkSmart, Peter graduated from Madison College in August 2019 with a one-year paralegal technical diploma.
“Once I decided [I wanted to continue my education] it was easy to navigate the program. I always found [the WorkSmart Network] easy and helpful once I made that decision.”
While at interviews, Peter continued to hear that his retail skills – like customer service, problem solving and teamwork – were coveted by employers.
“I never felt like I had skills in retail. I just felt like the whole world didn’t respect that work but it is respectable work and if you lose your job you can find something else out there that will use those skills and give you more skills and respect those skills.”
In July 2019 Peter accepted a position with Habush, Habush & Rottier.