Dear Waco Partners,
What an exciting year it has been for our office in Waco!
Through a generous support from the Rapoport Foundation, I joined the team in August 2016 as the first Waco Program Director for Skillpoint. In January we welcomed Dawn Broadwater to the team as our Waco Program Coordinator. We have expanded Skillpoint’s mission for Central Texas residents through training based on the needs specific to the Waco area and in the past year we have served 54 participants (an 80% graduation rate)!
This summer we formed a partnership with McLennan Community college to provide CNA and Medication Aide classes. We received a generous donation from the Central Texas Chapter of Associated General Contractors covering the cost of the OSHA-10 training we provide our students. Thank you K Paul and AGC for your support! We also received funding through the Cooper Foundation to support our Empower Program, which focuses on digital literacy for adults. Empower classes began in September at Shepherd’s Heart and Primera Iglesia.
Our second HVAC class of the year began September 11th. As we worked hard to put this second class together, we looked at improving the program based on participant needs. As a team we are reaching out to businesses for potential site visits for our participants, to learn about day-to-day operations for entry level HVAC technicians on residential and/or commercial sites.
We will also begin to incorporate study sessions alongside our soft skills training that will include showing up on time, preparing and studying outside of the classroom, and communication with colleagues to help set the tone for our 8-week (full time) class. We’re excited to for our participants’ success in the coming weeks and into their careers!
Thank you to all of our partners for you continued support for Skillpoint Alliance within the Waco community; we couldn’t operate without your expertise or involvement in our programs.
Upcoming events are listed below, such as registration for the annual Prosper Waco Summit on October 12th, and our Medication Aide class graduation. I hope to see you there!
Warm regards,
Mallory Herridge LMSW, MDiv
Waco Program Director