DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) – Workforce Investment Solutions helped a Decatur man land a full-time career he enjoys.
Eric Buchanan has been with Decatur Industrial Electric for about nine months. He went there through a partnership with WIS, which helped him gain the training he needed to take on the work.
“We receive a lot of applicants that need training, even in soft skills,” said DIE Marketing and Recruitment Director Kelli Runyon. “So when Eric came in, and since he worked with Workforce, he already knew how to be prepared for a job interview, how to interact with other employees and skills that are really necessary to a shop environment.”
Buchanan enjoys his position, where he washes electric motor parts in the “steam pit”.
“I’m part of a union,” Buchanan said. “I get benefits, insurance (and) a 401K plan. I really like it.”
WIS leaders say Buchanan is a prime example of how the training they offer can help someone be ready for the workforce.
“Eric was a testimonial for our program,” said Larry Peterson of WIS. “We had an advanced manufacturing training session going on, one of which was classroom training. When he wasn’t in class in the mornings in the afternoons, he worked at National Food Works in our work experience program.”