At age 25, Dorian W. was a forklift operator in a warehouse, but he didn’t see much of a future there. 

“Career-wise, you want to be able to move up,” he said.  

Then he spotted a Facebook ad for the BY program.  

“That got me pretty interested, so I filled out the application and started the three-week bootcamp at Highlander Park,” he said. 

Dorian earned the OSHA 30 & NCCER certifications and got help getting a driver’s license. He credits his instructor, Kent Gilchrist, with showing him all the career options available when he completed the program and teaching him all the skills he needed to know to get those jobs.  

One highlight was the importance of a carefully crafted resume. 

“They showed me how to set up a proper resume that would catch a hiring manager’s eye,” Dorian said. 

He soon found a job on ZipRecruiter and is working for Holder Construction, building a major industrial project and working about 60 hours a week. He started at $24 an hour, which is $5 an hour more than he’d been making at the warehouse. 

“Starting out, I’m a laborer, so we do general work, but I want to move up to a field supervisor,” he said. “But with my hourly rate plus overtime, I can make close to six figures. This has changed my life essentially – I can pay bills and still have money left.” 

He highly recommends the BY program. “My main advice is stick with it,” he said. “Anything you want to learn, they teach you, so you have nothing to worry about.” 

Stories like Dorian’s wouldn’t be possible without support from Lilly Endowment – Thank you!