Workforce System Success Stories - Workforce Development and Adult Learning

Keith Watkins had been unemployed and reliant on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) for two years when he reached out to the Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corporation (AAWDC) for support in finding employment. As an SSDI beneficiary, Keith was able to access services under a Social Security Administration (SSA) program called “Ticket to Work,” an initiative designed to help individuals with disabilities become and stay employed, increase their earnings, and eventually transition off benefits by becoming fully self-supportive.

Keith received a range of services through the Ticket to Work program that enabled him to succeed in reaching his career goals. An SSA Disability Services Navigator and a Healthcare Talent Consultant from AAWDC partnered to provide him with job coaching, a resume rewrite, benefits counseling and guidance, and promising job leads. Within just a month of beginning his employment search, Keith had landed a job with BayWoods of Annapolis, as an Assisted Living Activity Associate.

"Being out of work was tough when I was accustomed to working,” said Keith. “Working at BayWoods has given me the opportunity to help those who just need a little push, just like me when I was working my way back into the community again."