Mother found motivation in training program

NEW BEGINNING- Kelly McCamy, a 26-year-old Simi Valley resident, holds her 2-year-old daughter, Kaelyn, during a recent trip to the park. McCamy, a single mom, has learned valuable job skills and landed a well-paying position after she was given on-the-job training through Workforce Investment, a free government-run program geared to help employees learn new work skills. Single and a new mom at age 23, Kelly McCamy was content three years ago to sit at home and collect welfare.

But six months after her daughter, Kaelyn, was born, McCamy had to start looking for a job in order to continue receiving a government check. Unable to rely on the baby's father- their relationship fizzled soon after Kaelyn was born- McCamy began job hunting.

A Simi Valley resident, McCamy had attended Moorpark College but dropped out after she learned she was pregnant. She wasn't a serious student anyway, she said, going only because she wanted to stay on her parents' health insurance. So, armed with a high school diploma and a work history of going from one entrylevel job to another, McCamy started sending out 15 job applications a week.

Three months went by. Then Randy Tucker called; he needed a receptionist for his Simi Valley business consulting firm, Team Automation. McCamy was upfront with Tucker from the start: she had little education past high school and hadn't worked in a couple of years.

While other employers saw a liability in a single mother, Tucker saw a person capable of handling responsibility and able to multitask. He soon hired her.

"He looked at my situation as a positive thing; he saw potential," said McCamy, now 26, of being hired in March 2006. "I just felt good after the first day- just the sense of accomplishment."

A few months later, Tucker realized McCamy was able to take on more responsibilities, but she needed to learn a particular software he used, and she needed more customer service and time management skills.

Training employees can be a sizeable investment of time and money for a small business like Tucker's. He had no trainer on staff.

On-the-job training But Tucker had heard of a littleknown free government program that pays employers to train their employees. He met with Norman Beebe of Workforce Investment, and the two developed a stepbystep six-month plan for Tucker to train McCamy. Workforce would pay 40 percent of McCamy's salary during training.

"It takes some of the financial risk out of it, that's what it does," Tucker said. "What's nice is it's kind of a learning experience for everyone."

Tucker said that fashioning a training program for McCamy encouraged him to create training courses for his other employees, who include technical engineers and salespeople.

Every month, Beebe came by to check on McCamy's progress and suggest adjustments to the course or schedule as needed.

From the start of training, McCamy's pay increased, going from $10 per hour to what she called a "motivating" $12 an hour.

Nervous about learning something new, McCamy nonetheless completed the training and continued to earn the higher salary. She said the experience boosted her self-confidence and gave her the incentive to apply for an even higher-paying job later on.

"It made me feel good about myself that he trusted me and wanted to give me more responsibility," McCamy said of Tucker. "Workforce made me really feel I'm worth more than $10 an hour."

She left Team Automation last August for a new position with a medical administrative firm less than a mile from Tucker's First Street business. The company was willing to train the right person.

Sad to leave Tucker, McCamy said she had reached the top of the pay-scale there. Her new job came with a substantial pay increase and free healthcare insurance, attractive benefits for a single, working mother. In October, she moved out of her parents' house and into her own apartment.

"It gives me goose bumps; I'm so grateful," McCamy said. "Just the whole experience and Randy giving me a chance."

Success not a sure bet

Not everyone is as successful as McCamy, however. Tucker said last month he had to fire the person who replaced McCamy. Tucker and Beebe developed a training program specific to her needs, but she couldn't meet all the demands of job, he said.

"She tried hard; she was a very good person," Tucker said. But "with the technology speed that we deal with and the fast pace here, it didn't work."

Tucker doesn't consider the experience a failure, however, because both parties benefited. The woman learned some new skills, and for a while Tucker had a receptionist. But his company and the woman weren't the right fit, he said.

"For me as the employer, there is no downside," Tucker said of the on-the-job training program through Workforce Investment. "I will continue to utilize the program because I think it builds strong people."

Tucker still needs a receptionist, but he's happy about what McCamy has achieved. When the two ran into each other recently, they hugged and shared photos of their children.

The training and work experience "gave her the confidence she could be anything she wanted to be- that's the exciting part to me," Tucker said.

This month, McCamy will earn an associate degree in liberal arts from Moorpark College. She became serious about college while working for Tucker. And she took a year off from romantic relationships in the name of self-improvement, focusing on Kaelyn and college, and she gave up smoking and lost 60 pounds.

Working for Tucker gave her the courage to change her life, McCamy said. She couldn't imagine coming this far three years ago.

"I love my life today- the fact that I have a plan, I have a future," McCamy said, adding she plans to transfer to Cal Lutheran University in 2009 to get a bachelor's degree, teaching credential and possibly a master's degree in counseling. "I'm feeling better and better about myself. Why stop now?"