CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Adriane Muhammad’s career journey was going as planned until she hit an unexpected bump in the road.
Muhammad was laid off in October after spending 25 years in the telecommunications industry.
“It was like, what now?" Muhammad shared with WCNC Charlotte's Nick Sturdivant. "I’ve been working since I was a teenager. I didn’t necessarily want to do the same thing. I wanted to do something different, and I wanted to be intentional about what that next move was going to be.”
That next move came as she attended her daughter’s graduation from the Urban League of Central Carolinas workforce development training this past fall.
“They had a speaker from the HVAC class that was really impactful and I was like, 'You know what, maybe I’m going to do HVAC,'” Muhammad said as she smiled.
She signed up that day.
“When she came to the previous graduation and she was like 'Ty, I’m getting in your class,'" Tinzelow Baldwin, ULCC's Director of Vocational Training said. "And she did it. When she showed up, I was like 'Okay, let’s see how this goes.' from day one she’s been the person that’s been ready to go."
Muhammad was one of more than 100 graduates who completed 10 weeks of workforce development training in HVAC, electrical, and certified nursing assistant trades.
“So, seeing the progression and seeing the upward mobility of her is fulfilling," Brenda Thompson, Vice President of Workforce Development of ULCC, said. "It’s why we do what we do. That’s why we have 50 more stories like that."
Baldwin said the program is a great entry point to a new career.
“In 10 weeks, we can’t teach them everything, but what I can do is make sure their foundation is super solid in heating and air and electrical and also teaching them the soft skills,” he explained.
Robyn Lake Hamilton, ULCC’s President and CEO, said the program offers more than just jobs.
“I think about economic stability (and) financial stability," Hamilton said. "The ability to make choices for yourself and your family. It’s about choices. It’s about access."
Hamilton said they have a waitlist of more than 400 people to get into workforce training.
“Because it’s programming that will not only give you a new skill, but it really does lead you to economic freedom,” Hamilton mentioned.
Muhammad’s class, which graduated in May, was the largest cohort in the ULCC’s history.
She said her nephew has now signed up for the program as well and hopes to start a business one day with him.
“[In the] long-term, I do want to start a business. I do want to have something to share,” Muhammad said.
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