By Randiah Camille Green
July 13, 2026
This sponsored story was originally published by Outlier Media

This story was written by Randiah Camille Green and created in partnership with the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. It is part of a year-long series focusing on programs and pathways to good paying jobs and careers in Detroit.

Teia Moore has held a wide variety of jobs, covering several job sectors. She’s been a school lunch lady and ran an adult foster care home, before she began working in manufacturing, which she said felt most aligned with her skills and interests. But she was devastated when, after trying to advance in the industry, she was denied a spot in a welding apprenticeship program – she said because she is a woman. 

So, when a friend told her about Women Who Weld, she jumped at the opportunity, hoping being surrounded by other women would allow her to learn the skills she wanted, while being in a supportive environment. She was right. Moore completed an intensive training program with Women Who Weld in 2019, and is now working as a fabricator, able to execute entire projects, from blueprint to completion.

Women Who Weld offers a week-long intensive that teaches women the foundations of welding, and prepares them to enter the industry, all for $800. The organization also hosts a one-day introductory workshop for $125, for those who need a little more exposure before making the week-long commitment. These classes are partially subsidized, offering a steep discount from the estimated $3,500 that it costs to provide the week-long training. The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation has supported these classes through its grantmaking since 2023.

“I was surrounded by women who were taking it as seriously as I did, because they’re used to being denied too,” Moore said. “They really teach more than just how to weld. They prepare you for the workforce, help you fill out applications, and really set you up for success… They show you what to do and what to say when you walk in the door, because, as a woman, you do have to work a little harder, and [potential employers] are looking at you a little funny.”

Moore has gone on to work in production welding, joined the Sheet Metal Workers union, and now specializes in producing metal handrails. She has built parts for ambulances and firetrucks, and also worked on the 26-foot Menorah, for the Menorah in the D celebration at Campus Martius. She said she feels “welding is a woman’s job [because] it requires patience and attention to detail,” adding that these handcrafted details show up in many items used on a daily basis.

“Welding is in everyday life. People don’t understand, most of the chairs you sit on, they have welds. Your tables have welds. It’s part of everything. And that lets you know that you’re always gonna have a job,” Moore said. 

Samantha Farrugia established Women Who Weld in 2014. While she was studying at the University of Michigan for her master’s in city planning, she took a welding course. She had grown up watching her jeweler father set diamonds, and always had an interest in welding.

“I instantly loved it,” she said about the university welding class. “But I looked around and thought, ‘Why aren’t there more women in this fabrication lab?’ My master’s program was dominated by women, yet they weren’t in the fabrication lab, even though they had access to it.”

When she started the organization, Farrugia just wanted to teach welding so that other women would feel as powerful as she felt while doing it, but she later realized there was a huge demand in the industry. And when she’d go on interviews for city planning jobs, after completing her master’s program, potential employers saw Women Who Weld on her resume and convinced her that that’s what she should be doing instead. 

“I thought it would just be a summer camp type program, but [potential employers] would tell me, ‘No, that’s your purpose,’” she remembers.

Women Who Weld has trained roughly 750 participants, many of whom have gone on to become production welders, sheet metal workers, fabricators, and iron workers. The organization is even a registered pre-apprenticeship for the Iron Workers Union. 

Ali LaBorde is now an iron worker apprentice with the Iron Workers Union, Local 25, after completing Women Who Weld’s weeklong intensive in 2025. The skills she learned through Women Who Weld, along with the organization’s positive reputation, helped her land a four-year apprenticeship with the union. 

“Going through Women Who Weld was a huge confidence builder. … I may be going into this apprenticeship where I’m going to be over my head for four years, but at the very least, I know I can weld. I know I’m confident in a weld booth and I can hold my own,” LaBorde said. “And not only was it encouraging to see women in the field, but Samantha was actually the one who really encouraged the Iron Workers Union for me. She gave me the phone number for the apprenticeship coordinator… and they’re like, ‘Oh Women Who Weld, we had one of their participants before and they were great.’”

Having previously completed the one-day intro course, LaBorde participated in the subsidized weeklong course after learning she was about to get laid off from an office job. She’d started the job during the pandemic to help pay her bills, but it made her miserable. So, she took the opportunity to launch her career as an iron worker. 

“Welding is intimidating. It’s hot, there’s sparks, it’s electricity. You look at it and you’re like, ‘Man, that’s cool but I don’t know if I can handle that,’” she said. “So the one-day course was a lot of like, just get in there and try it. That was a great introduction to get over that hump of it being scary. Then the weeklong course really pushed my limits. It really progressed into more complicated positions and welding techniques, and reading layouts.”

For LaBorde, the small class sizes and individual attention from instructors set Women Who Weld apart from other training. 

“It’s a fantastically supportive environment,” she said. “For that weeklong course, there were eight participants and four instructors. … If you did a welding class at a community college, or even the welding I do through the training center with the ironworkers, you may have 40 people and two instructors. All of the instructors [at Women Who Weld] are very understanding that people are going to be scared going into something like this for the first time. They walk you through it, and if you need the baby steps, they’ll take you through the baby steps.”

Moore echoes LaBorde’s thoughts, adding that the best thing about Women Who Weld is the supportive network of women. Even though she has worked in shops that didn’t have a women’s bathroom, and said she has experienced harassment from male coworkers, she always has support from the organization’s founder and participants. “Once you enter Women Who Weld, you’re never alone again. You’re never without an opportunity, and you’re never without a friend. There have been women who’ve bounced through shops that I’m at, from Women Who Weld, and I tell them, ‘I got you,’” Moore said. “I call Sam my second mom. To this day, any opportunity she sees that she thinks is befitting for me, or will help me advance, she sends it my way. She is amazing. I walked through that whole program thinking I wasn’t good enough, and every day she told me, ‘You are more than enough.’”

Moore added, about the week-long intensive, “It’s one week that will change your life.”

Women Who Weld’s next single-day workshop is scheduled for October 24, with the week-long intensive being held October 26-30. Registration opened in early June. Detroiters who are low-income and who sign up for the mailing list will receive notice of a further subsidized week-long course, supported by the Berman Foundation, that is offered once a year. For more information see womenwhoweld.org/programs or email info@womenwhoweld.org to be put on the mailing list for upcoming classes.

To learn more about programs and pathways to good paying jobs and careers in Detroit, Highland Park, and Hamtramck, visit: https://outliermedia.org/tag/pathways-to-good-paying-jobs/

By Randiah Camille Green
July 6, 2026
This sponsored story was originally published by Outlier Media

This story was written by Randiah Camille Green and created in partnership with the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. It is part of a year-long series focusing on programs and pathways to good paying jobs and careers in Detroit.

Outside the Belle Isle Nature Center sits a 10-foot-long wooden megaphone, welcoming visitors to climb inside to hear amplified sounds. Sitting in it feels like getting a warm hug from a tree, while listening to birds chirping and wind blowing through the surrounding ephemeral wetlands. This megaphone was built by Detroit high school students with the workforce development organization, Atlantic Impact, to amplify the sounds of nature and the students’ carpentry skills. 

Twenty-year-old Ashley Sigala participated in building the nature megaphone two summers ago, when she was 18. She was looking for something productive to occupy herself with that summer and was interested in working with her hands. She didn’t know much about carpentry prior to her experience, but she and her fellow students learned how to measure, cut, sand, and assemble the wooden structure together, through Atlantic Impact.

“I learned a lot about communication, because a lot of us didn’t know how to communicate very well at first,” she said of her experience. “I felt a burst of happiness and excitement, because something so little turned into something so big, going to a public place in Detroit that’s going to be there for a very long time.”

Atlantic Impact is a Detroit-based nonprofit that runs workforce development and college readiness programs for youth between the ages of 16 and 24. The megaphone was built as part of their summer apprenticeship readiness program, the Our Town Training School Pre-Apprenticeship Program, which teaches young people skilled trades like carpentry, masonry, welding, plumbing, and painting, with support from Grow Detroit’s Young Talent. The program runs eight to 10 weeks, and participants also learn job-readiness skills like resume building and interviewing tips. It is offered free of charge, in partnership with Detroit at Work, the City of Detroit’s workforce development agency and employment hub.

“Skilled trades tend to have higher wages, and it’s an aging population currently in skilled trades, so there’s a need for young people to come in and fill those jobs,” said Atlantic Impact Executive Director Anise Hayes. “Our goal is that 90% of students in the apprenticeship program will be placed with a job within six months. … They will come out of the program ready, with both the interpersonal skills, soft skills, and workforce readiness that will make employers want to work with them.”

She added about the megaphone, “We are really proud to have done that…that, to me, is a testament to what this training does because the students who built that megaphone got to see it installed, they got to see people use it, and then they got to be able to go out and tell employers that they built that. That’s the story of our work. We want our students to be able to say … that the things that they make have real world impact.” 

While Atlantic Impact has a roughly 87% placement rate for students landing a job following the apprenticeship readiness program, they also operate a woodshop where students can earn $15 an hour while looking for work. After two summers with Atlantic Impact, Sigala continues to work in the woodshop, making products like customized cutting boards, benches, and chairs. She enjoys laser engraving on the wood, especially Red Wings’ and Tigers’ logos, and the baseball team’s Old English D. While she is currently studying finance at Wayne State University and sees woodworking as a hobby, her experiences with Atlantic Impact have given her newfound confidence.

“I feel like building the megaphone did help me grow a lot, maturity wise, because when you’re using tools, it’s not something you can just play around with,” she said. “And the fact that they trust me to use a big machine makes me feel appreciated and valued. I know it’s hard for people to find jobs right now and a lot of people are struggling. Well, with Atlantic Impact, I’m able to stay and get paid, have a job and still go to school.”

Atlantic Impact also supports Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs within the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD), which give hands-on training in skilled trades. They work with schools like the Randolph Career and Technical Center and Breithaupt Career and Technical Center, where students from across DPSCD can opt to attend for full or half days. For students who may not have access to these CTE programs, Atlantic Impact hosts similar activities at their own training space.

“They’re being exposed to the work, getting the chance to learn a little bit more about the trades,” Hayes said. “We kind of think of it as a continuum, where a student enters it, they get exposure, [then] they make a decision after they get the exposure whether this is something they want to do.”

Once a year, the organization hosts the Build Detroit Skilled Trades Challenge at Eastern Market, where CTE students from across metro Detroit compete in carpentry, welding, electrical, and masonry challenges. The students receive blueprints for a project and have three hours to build it. Afterward, they are judged by industry professionals and can receive awards. 

“It’s really almost like an in-person audition that the students are giving, showing off their skills to employers and to unions across the region,” Hayes said. 

Overall, Atlantic Impact’s goal is to help young people understand the value of potential careers in skilled trades and provide them with access to opportunities to enter the field. 

“We want our students to understand that they’re not just building stuff, or they’re not just in a CTE program, or doing apprenticeship readiness to build something that has no value,” Hayes said. “We want them to understand … that the work they are going to do has real significance in the world that they live in. When you walk into a building, when you walk into a school, someone built that. When you drive down the road, someone built that.”

For more information on Atlantic Impact, visit atlanticimpact.org/ and for details on programs, see atlanticimpact.org/experience/ or instagram.com/atlanticimpact/. Applications for the summer apprenticeship readiness program opened in the spring and the program begins in July.

To learn more about programs and pathways to good paying jobs and careers in Detroit, Highland Park, and Hamtramck, visit: https://outliermedia.org/tag/pathways-to-good-paying-jobs/

By Randiah Camille Green
June 3, 2026
This sponsored story was originally published by Outlier Media

This story was written by Randiah Camille Green and created in partnership with the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. It is part of a year-long series focusing on programs and pathways to good paying jobs and careers in Detroit.

Pattern pieces lie sprawled across tables that hold rows of sewing machines. A group of women gathers around and listens intently to their instructor, some wearing hijabs and others dressed in hoodies and jeans. The multicultural group sporadically breaks out in laughter, sharing smiles and giggles, before going back to their patterns.

It’s a gloomy Tuesday afternoon in Hamtramck, but D’Artillery is brimming with life. D’Artillery provides sewing and small batch manufacturing training to primarily immigrant and refugee women. Those in the shop today are participating in a 12-week “earn and learn” sewing course where they are trained in the production, alteration, and upcycling of clothing. Their teacher is master tailor Denise Reed, who has more than 40 years of experience.

A Haitian American woman wearing a patchwork skirt comes out from the back of the shop. Her name is Gracieuse Xavier, the founder of D’Artillery, but everyone calls her Gracie. She feels like both a mother and a friend to the ladies working at their cutting tables.

“I work in the intersection of creativity, community, and commerce, and that is D’Artillery,” she says. “We’re supporting a community of women to leverage their creative talent to build economic opportunity and prosperity for themselves and their family, and we do that through textile art, sewing, and small batch manufacturing.”

The earn and learn course is offered on a sliding scale, with support from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, and is geared toward women who want to have their own business. In addition to that, D’Artillery offers beginning and advanced sewing classes for women who are interested in sewing as a hobby, and English as a second language classes to serve the multicultural neighborhood. They also have a store where some of their program graduates sell bespoke handmade items, like aprons, pillowcases, and bags. One participant in the earn and learn course went on to run her own business making prom dresses.

“We work with predominantly immigrant communities, and a lot of these people need skills that they can do from home,” Xavier says. She was the director of corporate engagement and strategy at Global Detroit, and a Detroit Revitalization fellow, working in the Brightmoor neighborhood, before starting D’Artillery. “Some of the programs that already existed didn’t necessarily fit the schedule of the communities we work with.”

D’Artillery is a woman-centered space. This is intentional, to make immigrant women feel more comfortable, along with providing a culturally appropriate space to meet the needs of the largely Muslim community.

“The women can take breaks when they need to do their prayers and we have prayer mats here for them,” Xavier says. “We are here from 9 to 2, and we’ll stay later if production is necessary, but that’s in consideration that [some of] the women have children and they have to leave to go pick up their children. We have some women, especially our Yemeni ladies, who might wear the niqab, and they are able to take it off when they want to because they know this is a safe space for them.”

Huda Saeed first came to D’Artillery to take English classes three years ago, then found herself even more excited by the shop’s sewing machines.

The 48-year old Yemeni woman was a stay-at-home mom who had done alterations for her family members, but she hadn’t had the chance to learn more formal sewing skills. D’Artillery’s woman-only programming provided a comfortable setting for her to learn.

“I like the creative process of putting things together,” she said. Saeed completed the 12-week program and works part time in D’Artillery’s bespoke goods shop where she makes $15 an hour, primarily making aprons, bags, and pillow covers. “I like the encouraging environment that Gracie provides, and they have great teachers. They are so kind and supportive.”

She adds, “I encourage women in this community, especially those busy with their home life, to find a way to come here because it’s a supportive environment for a creative outlet.”

For women who may already have foundational sewing skills and want to take their entrepreneurship to the next level, D’Artillery hosts a 12-week business training course, in partnership with ProsperUs Detroit, called Woventures. Twice a year, participants are coached through building samples of their garments, setting their prices, and touring production factories, as they work on their designs.

This year, D’Artillery is piloting an apprenticeship with internationally acclaimed native Detroit designer Tracy Reese of Hope For Flowers, where the women will learn to work on high-end garments.

While D’Artillery’s focus is on immigrant women, their program is open to women of all backgrounds.

“Being an immigrant woman myself, creativity is not always encouraged,” Xavier says. “We’re encouraged to become doctors, lawyers, or engineers. We’re homemakers or caretakers. We need to know that there’s an opportunity that we can do both.”

Corina Fadel is taking the 12-week earn and learn class. She previously worked with Detroit Denim, which produced custom denim wear, and learned industrial sewing at the Industrial Sewing & Innovation Center (ISAIC). She jumped at the chance to learn from a master tailor at D’Artillery and expand her skillset. She hopes to start her own business mending clothing, upcycling denim, and collage quilting, layering and fusing fabric pieces to form art. 

“This is a place where you can grow your skills and practice while your confidence grows,” she says of D’Artillery, pausing for instructions on what to do next with her pattern pieces. “It’s a space that’s nurturing and encouraging of your desire and dreams.”

The next beginning and intermediate sewing courses at D’Artillery start in June, with classes held for five weeks. D’Artillery’s next 12-week earn and learn cohort begins in September, with applications opening in mid-July. For more information, visit dartillery.org/.

To learn more about programs and pathways to good paying jobs and careers in Detroit, Highland Park, and Hamtramck, visit: https://outliermedia.org/tag/pathways-to-good-paying-jobs/

By Randiah Camille Green
April 28, 2026
This sponsored story was originally published by Outlier Media

This story was written by Randiah Camille Green and created in partnership with the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. It is part of a year-long series focusing on programs and pathways to good paying jobs and careers in Detroit.

Jake Wigginton always knew he wanted to work in a skilled trade, but he wasn’t sure how to get a good job after graduating from high school. So he enrolled in the Macomb Community College (MCC) Michigan Apprenticeship Program Plus Industrial Readiness program, known as Map+, and upon completion he landed a job as an apprentice instantly.

“It was a little bit challenging because I was experiencing new stuff, like how to solder. But it was a fun challenge. And most of my instructors have done their job for like 30 years, so they know what they’re talking about,” Wigginton said. “Those classes helped me a lot. I’ve learned a lot that has dipped into my work and as I’m working, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I learned this in class.’”

At 21 years old, Wigginton is working as a certified maintenance technician while continuing to take classes at MCC as part of his apprenticeship, all sponsored by his employer. He also gets paid for the time he is in class. All of the courses he is taking are chosen by his employer to further his career, including skills taught in arc welding, technical writing, and electrical courses. 

“I started [working] Jan. 8, 2024 and they said, ‘You wanna do more school?’ I said, heck yeah and they signed me up for the winter semester,” he said. “The Map+ program is definitely the way to go because it helped me a lot with understanding trade work. And there are so many opportunities because even the professors have connections that could lead to an opportunity if you don’t get hired at the job fair.”

Roughly 70% of students receive an apprenticeship or entry-level skill trades position upon completing the Map+ program, according to MCC Professor and Apprentice Coordinator Vikki Gordon, who emphasizes that an apprenticeship is in fact a job.

“It is a very proven, very successful workforce development model,” she says, adding that after MCC teaches the skills to get a job, “We will get you in front of an audience of hiring employers, especially those who have apprenticeship programs.”

For those who already have an apprenticeship through their employer, Macomb offers several classes in the skilled trades and healthcare fields. The college works with more than 100 employers, including General Motors, Stellantis, and Ford, with nearly 800 students taking classes as part of skilled trade apprenticeships currently.

“All of the programs are for-credit, so whether they get into the pre-apprenticeship program or an apprenticeship with an employer who sends them to us to complete the classes, they will get credentials that will go toward an associates degree,” Gordon said. “We’re very responsive to what employers in the area would like to see in a candidate that they’re considering for an apprenticeship program, so their credentials meet not only the needs of the students to be engaging and exciting and give them skills, but the needs of the industry.”

Several other community colleges, including Henry Ford College (HFC), Oakland Community College (OCC), and Schoolcraft College partner with employers across metro Detroit for apprenticeships. Schoolcraft has 45 employer-sponsored apprenticeship programs, primarily in skilled trades. They also offer many opportunities for students to “upskill their professions” in healthcare by learning related skills, in a model they refer to as “earn while you learn.”

Some of the “earn while you learn” pathways at Schoolcraft, in healthcare fields, include MRI, vascular ultrasound, interventional radiology, and musculoskeletal ultrasound. These are for individuals who are already working in healthcare, and want to gain additional certifications to move into jobs that fill gaps in the industry and earn higher wages.

“We have so many healthcare jobs that are available because in the COVID era, a lot of people left healthcare and a lot of people retired, so we have a large gap,” Keambra Pierson, Schoolcraft’s chief academic operations officer said. “We try to make sure we partner well with our community partners, to make sure that we’re able to give them what they’re looking for in the workforce, and then they are able to send people back here to continue to get the upskilling that’s necessary in the workforce.”

Schoolcraft has also infused opportunities for employment and apprenticeships into several of its programs, like the Pharmacy Technician program. Those who complete this one-semester program, conducted in partnership with CVS, can gain immediate employment with the company. The school’s Medical Assisting program also offers employer-sponsored apprenticeships through partnerships with Henry Ford Health System and IHA Medical Group, which is part of Trinity Health.

“Nationally, individuals who finish some of these different pathway degrees, whether it’s an apprenticeship program or an upskilling pathway, 92% stay with their employer for three to five years, and that’s a huge number. And actually, 90% of them stay over five years,” said health professions liaison at Schoolcraft, Donna Moyer. “And in most of these apprenticeship programs, the individuals end up with little or no student debt.”

Michigan has been rated as the fourth best state in the nation for workforce development due to strong skilled trades programs, colleges, and universities. Apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeship programs undoubtedly contribute to this high ranking, providing people opportunities to earn a higher-than-livable wage with long-term employment.

“There’s something to be said for the ease of transition from school to a career,” Moyer said of Schoolcraft students. “They receive an industry recognized, national credential, plus, in some cases, they can earn college credits and they get a college certificate.”

Those interested in MCC’s Map+ pre-apprenticeship program are encouraged to contact Program Coordinator Carol Hensler-Smith at hensler-smithc516@macomb.edu.

To learn more about programs and pathways to good paying jobs and careers in Detroit, Highland Park, and Hamtramck, visit: https://outliermedia.org/tag/pathways-to-good-paying-jobs/

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By Randiah Camille Green
January 21, 2026
This sponsored story was originally published by Outlier Media

This sponsored story was written by Randiah Camille Green and created in partnership with the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. It is part of a year-long series focusing on programs and pathways to good paying jobs and careers in Detroit.

Despite her years of experience working in technology roles, Tracy Maricle could not find a job. She had just moved back to metro Detroit in 2025, after completing a contract in Dallas, and it felt like she couldn’t land an interview, no matter how many jobs she applied for.

“In the IT industry, as it has developed, companies are looking for people who are [both] certified and have hands-on experience,” she said. Though she had the work experience, she lacked many of the certifications that companies were requiring. 

So Maricle enrolled at Per Scholas Detroit, which offers no-cost training, certification, and career coaching for technology-related fields like systems support, cybersecurity, and data engineering. The program offers two tracks each year with a remote option and a hybrid option that includes both in-person and online classes. The 12-week courses consist of three eight-hour days onsite and two remote days of learning each week. 

Lots of industries are looking for employees to fill technology roles that Per Scholas trains for such as banks needing cybersecurity officers.

“Healthcare is another one. There’s a lot of demand in Corewell Health and we’re right near the Henry Ford Hospital as well,” said Per Scholas Detroit Managing Director Laura Chavez. “They’re always looking to upskill their employees, so we offer them the skills that they need to be the resume or applicant that stands out among others.”

The courses offered are adjusted yearly based on industry demands and evolving standards. For example, all courses will expand to 15 weeks to include an AI training component beginning in 2026. 

“That was something that all employers said that they wanted,” Chavez said about the addition of AI training. “We’re always trying to assess what is important and what employees are looking for. So our tracks change based on the demand in your area… We’re always in the field talking to employees, talking to our partners, trying to see what the best fit would be for the next year.”

The program attracts a variety of learners from people who are completely new to the IT field to those who want to further their career like Maricle. 

“We have a lot of veterans, retirees, and stay-at-home parents who are re-entering the workforce,” Chavez said. “It’s a lot of work, so they have to be committed to the program, but we commit to helping them with finding jobs.”

Upon completing the Per Scholas course in July of 2025, Maricle received certifications in CompTIA A+, Google IT, and ServiceNow, to help better her chances at landing a job. She now works as an instructional assistant for Per Scholas Detroit.  

“When I heard there was an opening, I thought, maybe I can set up the next round of learners for success and help put more qualified, certified techs out into the job world,” Maricle said of her choice to work at the Detroit office of the national Per Scholas nonprofit skills training organization. 

Per Scholas graduates have landed IT jobs at General Motors, Corewell Health, Henry Ford Hospital, Blue Cross Blue Shield and more. The IT service company HumanIT also partners with Per Scholas to place their graduates in jobs. In one cohort earlier this year, Chavez said, 75% of the students had secured a job prior to graduation.

“One of the essential things Per Scholas does for its learners is professional development,” Maricle said. “There were things that were covered that I hadn’t thought of [including] ways to rewrite my resume to make it pass all of those AI bots that are filtering resumes, that hadn’t been in place the last time I was looking for a job.”

Since completing the program and now working for Per Scholas, Maricle has received several job offers from recruiters. But, she says, she is happy to stay where she is, helping the learners who complete the program get high-quality jobs.

“Because of what Per Scholas does, I am able to forward those recruiters on to our learners, once they become alumni, to secure employment. It’s really a full circle experience,” she said.

According to Chavez, Per Scholas looks to place their graduates in jobs that offer at least $24 an hour, with medical benefits, paid time off, and vacation time.

“We are extremely appreciative for the funding we have received from Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation because this is creating legacy and generational wealth in the city of Detroit,” she said. “A lot of them go from a regular nine-to-five low-paying job, or multiple jobs to make ends meet, and they can now go into a long-lasting career. The impact is not just an individual, it’s the family of the individual.”

Now located in the New Center section of midtown, in the Fisher building, Chavez says she hopes Per Scholas can one day establish another office in Southwest Detroit.

Nationally, Per Scholas celebrated its 30-year anniversary in 2025. The organization, which serves 24 cities, has operated in Detroit since 2018. Anyone living in Southeast Michigan who has earned a high school diploma or GED equivalent, and who meets income requirements based on their household size, can apply to Per Scholas for hands-on, no-cost IT training. 

For more information or to apply, visit perscholas.org/locations/detroit.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), in partnership with the Michigan Department of Transportation and the Belle Isle Conservancy, produced this study of the transportation network at Belle Isle. The DNR grounds this report in an assessment of current transportation conditions on the island. Through data collection and analysis of attendance and parking capacity, along with public and stakeholder engagement, the DNR identifies visitor driving and access challenges and presents recommendations and phased improvements informed by community input. These recommendations aim to create a more inclusive and efficient transportation network for all modes and abilities on and around Belle Isle. 

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By Randiah Camille Green
December 5, 2025
This sponsored story was originally published by Outlier Media

This sponsored story was written by Randiah Camille Green and created in partnership with the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. It is part of a year-long series focusing on programs and pathways to good paying jobs and careers in Detroit.

Many youth in Detroit struggle with keeping a job, not because they can’t do the work, but because of access barriers. Those who are single parents may have trouble finding daycare. Those without a car have to depend on unreliable transportation. They may lack the financial literacy skills to know how to maintain a budget. The nonprofit SER Metro Detroit is working to holistically address these issues by giving youth the skills needed to secure and retain employment. 

SER Metro, which stands for service, employment and redevelopment, offers a GED program called YouthBuild. It provides people from 18 to 24 years of age the opportunity to pursue a career in construction or health care while earning their GED. The program is 240 hours and can take between eight weeks and seven months to complete.

“We have infrastructure and systems that don’t allow people to be successful if they don’t have many of the boxes already checked,” said SER Metro Assistant Vice President Ann Leen. “The baseline of who we are is about lifting people out of the cycle of poverty. Our focus is not just employment, but education and access to long-term sustained employment.”

Beyond increasing chances for employment, SER Metro’s YouthBuild program teaches interpersonal assets such as leadership skills and how to be a team player, which Vocational Construction Instructor Mark Garner said are important to keeping a job.

“It’s instilling in them showing up to work every day, on time, with the right attitude, regardless of what’s going on at home,” Garner said. 

Garner has worked in construction since 2006 and is a journeyman carpenter by trade. He has been a SER Metro YouthBuild instructor for three years. 

“A lot of youth get a job in construction but they don’t keep the job, and one of the main reasons is they haven’t learned how to stay off their phone,” he said, emphasizing that soft skills are just as important as knowing how to do the job. “Even their posture, the way they walk in the door can dictate whether a journey person is going to be comfortable working with them everyday. I make sure that they are aware of those things.”

SER Metro received a $500,000 grant from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation in 2021 to build a lab for the construction trade program. YouthBuild students on the construction track gain carpentry experience, explore 22 different trades, receive Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 10 and OSHA 30 certification, CPR/First Aid certification, and EPA lead renovation, repair, and painting certification, alongside hands-on experience. 

The program runs on a multi-craft core curriculum set forth by the National Association of Building Trades to introduce prospective candidates to the construction trade and help them make an educated decision about what path is best for them. The curriculum covers a full range of subjects, including an introduction to the industry, green construction, blueprint reading, sexual harassment in the workplace, financial literacy, and workplace diversity.

Twenty-one-year-old Julian Zuniga-Lopez got his GED through SER Metro and completed the construction trade program in 2024. During his 10th grade year of high school, the COVID-19 pandemic caused his school to shift to online learning, which was challenging for him. 

“I couldn’t really focus,” he remembered. “I didn’t really like doing school online, so I basically dropped out and started working.”

Inspired by his father, who works in construction, Zuniga-Lopez decided to do the GED and construction program to give himself a chance for a better future. He said SER Metro’s instructors made the math portion of the GED test so easy to understand that he felt like he “learned four years of math in one week.”

“I have a master’s degree and I have to tell you that I attempted to take the GED in the last two years and I failed it,” Leen said. “Generally speaking, it’s around an 11th grade reading level and 11th grade math. … In many cases, especially for our young adults and teenagers, they are reading at about a fourth grade level and their math is about a second grade level. So we do a lot of tutoring, upskilling, and foundation work.”

After completing YouthBuild, Zuniga-Lopez was able to enroll in Union Carpentry School, a four-year apprenticeship program. Though he is currently working in landscaping, he hopes to eventually finish the apprenticeship. He praises Garner for being a solid mentor.

“He was such a good teacher who motivated you and pushed you to do better,” he said of Garner. “For the carpentry school, he helped me with my interview to get in there. Apart from that, he was a really good mentor as well. I would talk to him about things I was going through and I felt really comfortable with him.”

Gardener emphasized the importance of instilling confidence in young people who may not have had the most positive reinforcement when it comes to learning. 

“I had one student who came through, and his self-esteem was low because of his upbringing and what he’s lived through. He struggled reading a tape measure and didn’t think he could do it because he’s no good at math. So, I let him know, it’s not necessarily that you’re no good at math, it may just not have been presented to you correctly,” Garner said. “His experience was, if he messed up, somebody would call him stupid or dumb, so he came to believe that. But I have shortcuts I teach to help the students deal with fractions, and once we got over that hurdle and got his confidence up, his entire stature began to change.”

SER Metro also helped Zuniga-Lopez get his driving permit. As he did not have transportation, they provided him with $1,000 of free Ubers to get back and forth to the program, and paid for his driving lessons and exam. 

“We like to pride ourselves on meeting people where they are,” Leen said. “We sometimes do community programming—meeting people at libraries, meeting people at community centers… If they don’t have transportation, or [car] insurance, or child care, this is the deck of cards we’re playing with. So how can we figure out how to get you a car [and] how to get you a good paying job that supports your insurance and child care needs. There are lots of ways to find solutions for individuals who have already had systems fail them.”

For people considering the YouthBuild program, Zuniga-Lopez said, “If they don’t think school is for them, honestly, give it a try. It’s so much different than going to regular school because they help you one-on-one and really explain things. It’s a good opportunity if people need help, because they help you out with pretty much anything you need to better your future.”

SER Metro’s main office is in Southwest Detroit. They also have a location on Detroit’s eastside and several satellites across the city, including in the Northwest Activity Center. For more information, see sermetro.org/