Urban League Youth Empowerment Program, Bidwell Training Center
Robert Leyva is fascinated with science and is passionate about chemistry. “I like the research and the experimentation behind it and what reacts with what,” he said. “I like finding out the why … the information about all of it.”
Thanks to a connection from Urban League of Pittsburgh, a partner organization of Partner4Work, the 21-year-old explores his fascination daily through the Chemical Laboratory Technician classes at Bidwell Training Center. The associate’s degree curriculum involves classwork, then hands-on experience in the lab.
“We will work in a lab setting learning how to keep proper research notebooks, how to take proper measurements and use all of the instruments they have,” Leyva said excitedly. “Afterwards, we’ll go on an externship for eight weeks.” That can lead to a job opportunity and, Robert hopes, a future career in chemistry and engineering. What looks like a very reachable goal now seemed unattainable just a few years ago.
A Fresh Start
The road to opportunity wasn’t always smooth for Robert. Living in Nevada, the young man left his formal education after the sixth grade. Although he was home-schooled, he did not officially finish high school.
“We had kind of a rough home life, and he didn’t have a great male role model,” said Robert’s mother, Lisa Leyva. “His education was stunted. He’s highly intelligent, and I knew I had to do something that would benefit him.”
In 2016 the family moved to Pittsburgh to be closer to Lisa’s family. While she worked, Robert cared for his younger brother, getting him to and from school, preparing dinner and helping with homework. But Robert needed to finish his own education, and a referral from the Salvation Army Family Care Center steered him toward the program that would change his life. Robert was led to the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh.
Robert participated in the Urban League’s Urban Youth Empowerment Program (UYEP), funded by a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) out-of-school youth (OSY) grant from Partner4Work. With the $192,500 grant from Partner4Work, UYEP will serve 35 high school dropouts or high school graduates with low reading or math skills in 2016-2017.
Robert’s aptitude and his mother’s schooling showed from the jump.
“Robert came in, tested at a 12th-grade level, and we knew immediately he would be a great fit for the program,” said Grace Kizzie, program manager of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh’s Urban Youth Empowerment Program. “He has never disappointed us.”
The Urban League’s youth program provides customized education and training, financial incentives, job placement assistance and service learning for qualifying youth ages 16-24. It’s open to those who are not attending school or have dropped out, have a disability, are an ex-offender, pregnant or parenting, homeless or a runaway or are an English language learner. Students can obtain a GED, then move on to opportunities for career training with partner organizations.
Robert enrolled in July, passed his GED exam in August and started career training in October. “We’re proud,” a beaming Kizzie said. “We couldn’t be more proud of him if we were his parents.”
Lisa Leyva feels the same. “It was what we needed at the right time,” she said. “I’m very proud of him because I knew he had it in him. We just had to find the right outlet. I had no clue this program even existed so it was luck—pure luck — that someone told us about it.”
Partnering For Success
Earning his GED was just the first part of Robert’s education. The Urban Youth Empowerment Program partners with career training centers for tours and symposiums to expose students to different professions. “We took him on a tour of Bidwell, and he jumped right on it,” Kizzie said. “He got his interview, and the next thing you know, he was showing us his acceptance papers.” Leyva is now enrolled in the Chemical Laboratory Technician program at Bidwell Training Center in Pittsburgh, a non-profit career training school which provides career training at no cost to Pennsylvania residents who qualify with a high school diploma or GED.
“We have seven career-training majors that meet the employment needs of our region,” said Bridgette Kennedy-Riske, Bidwell’s admissions coordinator/community liaison. “We work with employers to determine what career opportunities are available, how the industries are growing and changing, and what skills are needed to obtain entry-level work in those fields.” Bidwell offers one associate’s degree major and six diploma majors, including programs in Chemical Laboratory Technician, Culinary Arts, Electronic Record Medical Assistant, Horticulture Technology, Medical Claims Processor, Medical Coder and Pharmacy Technician.
“We often hear in the news that employers have thousands of jobs available, but there aren’t enough people with the right skills to fill those jobs,” says Kennedy-Riske. “On the other hand, we know there are people in our families and our communities who want opportunities to earn a good wage, have benefits and do more fulfilling work. Bidwell works with employers to create training majors that meet the high-demand industries of our region. Our mission is to change lives, and we do this through career training. Our graduates experience opportunities and success, and it changes their lives, their families’ lives, and their communities.”
Robert jumped at the chance to study chemistry and work in a lab. “I knew I wanted to further my education,” he says. “Since I was young, I always did enjoy science in school. When I found out they had a lab set up working with sciences and chemistry, I was stoked for it!”
Once he completes work in the classroom and lab, he’ll be placed in an externship which could lead to a job offer. “If we do well in the externship, some companies will hire us on the spot and pay for further education, so there’s room for advancement,” Robert said. “I’m hoping to get a degree in physical chemistry.”
Walking the Walk
“I like helping because people always helped me,” says Barry Powell, case manager and job developer for the Urban Youth Empowerment Program. “It does me good when I see the kids come in from day one, and then you see at the end they’re a whole different person. Their whole attitude changes, they’re more receptive to criticism, good and bad, understanding who they are, and what they bring to the table.”
“We tell them they are a family. Work together. Help each other. We’re here for you but they may be able to learn something from one of their peers,” Kizzie said. “I love working with the students and watching them grow.”
“Everyone says they want to get a GED but you have to walk the walk,” Powell said. “They may come for a day then you don’t see them.”
Robert Leyva walked the walk. Now his journey is taking him on the path to success.
“I don’t think enough people know there are programs that can help them with their education like this,” he said. “They teach you from the ground up. It changed my life.”