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“I always dreamed of getting a better education”

  June 11, 2019

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Michou was a single mother of two and pregnant with her third child in 2010 when a powerful earthquake struck her homeland of Haiti. Left homeless by the devastation, Michou and her children emigrated to the U.S. During their first few years here, Michou acted as a full-time caretaker for her sons, both of whom have autism, and her teenage daughter.

Michou’s life took a new direction this past winter when she became a student in IINE’s intensive skills training program. The workforce development program prepares immigrants for careers in the healthcare and hotel industries with a curriculum geared toward customer service, professional workplace skills, and industry-specific vocabulary.

Michou said that participating in the Hospitality Training Program at IINE was “life-changing.”

“I loved, loved, loved the program,” she said. “I always dreamed of getting a better education.”

Two days after she graduated from the training program, a large luxury hotel offered Michou a job in one of its restaurants. Her starting wage is well above the state minimum, and the position offers generous benefits, including higher education tuition remission for Michou and her children.

Reflecting on her experience in the program, Michou said: “I’m really proud of myself – this program changed everything.”

Michou’s daughter Fabiolla, now 18, is a student at the University of Massachusetts Boston and hopes to one day become a criminal defense lawyer. Her sons, Orlmitch and Mitchello, are enjoying school and receiving an outstanding education.

Michou’s new career was made possible by her own initiative as well as the recent expansion of IINE programming to Boston’s Metro North region. In 2018, IINE began offering Skills Training courses at community centers in Malden, Everett, Chelsea and Revere, cities with growing populations of immigrants looking for good jobs and career options.

  • To see photos from some recent Hospitality Training Program and Healthcare Services Certificate Program graduation ceremonies, click here.
  • To learn more about the Hospitality Training Program or the Healthcare Services Certificate Program, and to learn about free tuition for Boston residents, click here.
  • To hire graduates of IINE Skills Training programs, click here.
  • To bring our HTP or HSCP curriculum directly to your workplace, click here.

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