Jeffery Ware has come full circle with BY Training. Seven years after completing his first BY program, he is signing on as an instructor. He’ll be teaching the same class that put him on a new path back in 2017.

“As the program grew, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of,” Jeffery says. “I just kept reaching out to the leaders, saying, ‘Who would be a better [instructor] candidate than someone who came through the program?’”

He first learned about BY through Daniel Perryman, a BY navigator and a longtime friend. Jeffery enrolled in the training at Southeast Community Services on Shelby Street, where he earned an NCCER credential as well as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration 10 Hour Construction Safety and Health (OSHA-10) card.

Although he had done construction work previously, he was living paycheck to paycheck. Gaining credentials made all the difference in his pay, marketability and job security. Companies like hiring people with the OSHA-10 card, which saves them the cost of putting employees through the training, Jeffery explains.

After completing the BY program, Jeffery was immediately hired as a laborer for Messer Construction Co. (his BY instructor’s employer), making $3 more per hour than he had earned before. After a year, he went to work for Tradesmen International as a carpenter. He joined Carpenters Local Union No. 301 as a top-scale journeyman. He then started his own company, Indiana Property Professionals.

Jeffery actually has graduated from BY twice. When the program was expanded to offer the OSHA-30 card, he returned last year to earn it. “I’m always looking for ways to better myself,” he adds.

With the additional credential, he is making $30,000 more annually than he made back before he discovered BY. That extra money enables him to care for his five children as well as assisting friends in need.

He already has referred multiple friends to BY, all of whom now have steady jobs. In addition to the financial benefits, BY instills confidence, Jeffery says.

“The program will change your life,” he says. “Financially, it’s a big jump, an exponential increase. But the biggest part is knowing your worth. By the end of this program, you understand that, with a little bit of groundwork, you can do so much more and be so much more. The window for success is that much more open.”

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