Workforce Development success:From $100 a week to $52.51 per hour

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Kevin Scales couldn’t have imagined being where he is today – fully trained as a hydrovac engineer, earning $52.51 an hour with benefits.

At the time, Scales had been struggling to make ends meet – in jobs that at least allowed him to spend time with his kids on the weekend, but netted him maybe $100 per week.

“Things were rough for about two years. I was going through a divorce, and had barely enough for a car payment and insurance,” Scales said. “I needed more. I needed to feed my kids, but no new job would accommodate me having my kids on the weekend.”

Enter Tamika Tonge, a San Bernardino County Workforce Development specialist whose job it is to help individuals such as Scales explore and secure career opportunities that can transform their lives.

With Tonge’s support, Scales completed truck driver training and was hired by a local trucking firm for $19 per hour. He would go on to receive his tanker endorsement, certifying that he was qualified to safely haul large volume liquid cargos. With that, he was hired at Badger Daylighting to operate a highly pressurized water truck to excavate soil – at $52.51 per hour.

“Tamika was phenomenal. She helped me all along the way, and was tough on me when I thought I couldn’t do it,” Scales said. “I’m 30 and never had a career before, so this is great.”