Ms. C. Caldwell was a Senior Associate Assembler at Cardinal Health in Fort Mill, South Carolina before being laid-off in January 2021. At the time of separation, the Cardinal Health petition had not yet been approved but eventually was a few weeks after her layoff. After the petition was certified, it took months before Ms. Caldwell responded to outreach efforts. Eventually she did and reached out to her local SC Works office regarding TAA services. She met with a TAA Workforce Consultant and enrolled in the program in May 2021. Prior to her enrollment in the TAA program, Ms. Caldwell had enrolled in a Medical Assisting program at her local technical college. She had previously attended York Technical College years earlier and had earned college credits toward her training interest.
Knowing that she could potentially receive assistance to resume her studies at York Tech., Ms. Caldwell worked diligently with her TAA Workforce Consultant to ensure that she understood the requirements in order to provide all necessary documentation to complete her training application for submission and consideration. Once her training was approved, she was able to continue her studies despite maneuvering through a pandemic and working part-time. Not only would she receive assistance for tuition and books, she also qualified for transportation assistance. The added transportation benefit was helpful to her in combating the rising fuel prices.
Ms. Caldwell worked very hard in her studies and was able to complete training in July 2022. Utilizing the skills and knowledge she learned in approved TAA training program, she was able to pass the American Medical Technologists (AMT) certification examination.
As of September 2022, she is employed as a Certified Medical Assistant earning wages higher than the wages she received from the Trade-affected employer.