Press Release - For Immediate Release
Michigan Works! Alumnus Transitions from Drafting Table to Emergency Room
January 30, 2012, Benton Harbor, Michigan – Bangor resident Jameson Kelly was honored at the Michigan Works Association’s annual alumni celebration Tuesday, January 24th. State Senator John Proos and State Representatives Al Pscholka and Aric Nesbitt joined Michigan Works staff to celebrate the perseverance Kelly showed when his career took an abrupt turn in 2008. After eight years as a successful architectural designer, Kelly was laid off and returned to school to become a registered nurse.
Kelly began prerequisite classes to become a nurse when he began to sense that his career in architectural design wasn’t going to last forever. Working in healthcare had been of interest to him since his early twenties when he happened upon an accident and helped the injured driver. However, when reality struck and his job went away, Kelly says he couldn’t pay his family’s bills let alone spend extra money on tuition and books. He shared his story with a room of about 200 people including family members, alumni and staff from other Michigan Works, legislators, and employers.
We seemed to be stuck. There were no more jobs in design work and I knew I still wanted to pursue the nursing career. This is where Michigan Works and No Worker Left Behind came and saved us. I was able to quickly get enrolled and just five months after losing my job I was accepted into the nursing program. The next two years were some of the most challenging years of my life, but as a family we stuck together, we prioritized, and stayed focused on that light at the end of the tunnel. I got a job at Lakeland four weeks before graduation and started there one week after. I am and will forever be so so grateful to the staff at Michigan Works. I can’t tell you how good it feels to be a man, to get a paycheck, to be able to support my family.
“Jameson is an excellent example of the way Michigan Works can impact people’s lives and deliver talent badly needed in high demand sectors like healthcare,” said Michigan Works executive director, Todd Gustafson. Kelly’s supervisor at Lakeland, Emergency Department Manager Kathleen Effa, said “I can’t even believe he was in architecture; he seems like he was born to be a nurse. He’s smart clinically, technically he catches on really fast, he has a calm demeanor, and he’s great at communicating with patients.” Effa said that Kelly, who was recently promoted to the ER after just a few months on the job, had the leadership ability, the drive, and the skills they look for in the emergency room. Effa said she would encourage others who have been laid off to go back to school for nursing.
"Training programs like these are connected to the needs of employers, which makes Southwest Michigan a more competitive and attractive place for job creation, investment, and as a place to grow," said State Representative Al Pscholka."As the Michigan economy continues to rebound, these initiatives will become even more critical to our future," he added.
State Senator John Proos and State Representative Aric Nesbitt presented Kelly with a tribute from the state of Michigan also signed by Representative Fred Upton and Governor Rick Snyder. Proos commended Kelly’s “intestinal fortitude” in getting retrained and seeking a better life for his family. Nesbitt also commended Kelly’s perseverance saying, “The dedication shown by the Kellys, the rest of the alumni and the staff at Michigan Works! truly shows what the people of Michigan are capable of.”
Michigan Works! is a non-profit, workforce development organization providing the skilled workforce necessary to meet the needs of employers. For more information, call 1-800-533-5800 or visit www.miworks.org.###