Although Western Nevada Colleges ROADS program is in its infancy, the employment educational retraining project is already changing and bettering lives.

That's certainly the case for Austin and Ali Tucker, the first married couple to utilize the program geared toward helping Nevadans retrain for a new career. More specifically, WNC's new Realizing Opportunities for the American Dream to Succeed (ROADS) program is assisting underemployed and unemployed workers in their day-to-day higher education training.

"I think going through a program like this together has been motivational", Ali said. "I want to succeed, but having someone there to succeed with you motivates you even more. Even though Austin is taking different classes than me, it is great that he is going to school with me."

Austin added, "I think going through the program together has taken a collective load off of our mental plate, so to speak. I dont think this year in school has been quite as stressful as the first year for us both."

The program is a collaboration between WNC and the Nevada Department of Employment Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) to help these individuals with educational training and profession skills development needed for positions that are in high-demand occupations and industries.

Austin wasn't certain that he wanted to work in the construction trade design business well into the future. That uncertainty transformed into a new career path after ROADS eased the financial responsibilities for him to return to college. He is nearing completion of his Bachelors degree in Construction Management, giving him more flexibility, earning power and career options in the future.

"I think its been a positive change so far", Austin said. "I will say that something that secondary and post-secondary education fail to enunciate is that more often than not, its who you know, not necessarily what you know. Michael Borehams ability to work with local business owners and hiring managers, and get students face-to-face meetings with them has been incredibly valuable."

As Western's ROADS coordinator, Boreham mentors the programs participants, encouraging them to succeed well after they leave the program. Connecting students to ROADS employee partners has given them an inside track to employment after they complete their education through the program.

"Not only are we meeting with the representatives of the places graduates are usually applying to, but there is a fair amount of interpersonal and interviewing experience that comes with meeting them", Austin said.

Ali earned a Fine Arts degree from WNC in 2018, but after going to work for Click Bond, she realized the need for more education.

"I actually was not going to go back to school", she said. "However, Click Bond was a completely new world for me. I have never worked in manufacturing at all, so I went back to WNC for MT1 certification to learn more about machines and how they operate."

So that they can focus on their careers and educational retraining, ROADS has been able to provide the Tuckers with financial support. They both have had their tuition, books and materials covered, as well as help with transportation costs. The program even helped the couple with an unexpected car repair bill.

Moreover, they have received career support and networking that are boosting their professional lives. Austin recently was hired by Carson City Public Works and Ali has been promoted at Click Bond.

"I think my promotion was from a number of things, but I do think that with this degree I can go even further here at my company," Ali said. "I think this program has helped me think that I can do more with my life and strive for better."

Austin said that the personal touch of the ROADS program has set him up to become more successful and he appreciates that he has been part of this novel program.

"Having a person at the college who is checking in on you, and actively trying to set you up for success, both in your studies and professional pursuits is helpful in more than just the obvious tangible ways", Austin said. "Professors and other admin workers dont always have the time or energy to deal with each students specific situation and monitor it closely, but when that is a big part of what you do, then it makes that individual much easier to approach."

To learn more about the ROADS program and what it can do for you, go to wnc.edu/roads/.