Skip To Content

Real Stories of How We Connect Real People with Careers That Work

  • Amir Success Story

    Amir

    We love sharing photos of our CareerFORCE Youth Program participants in action! Amir is spending his summer in an On-the-Job Training (OJT) role with the Housing Association & Development Corporation in Allentown. He is hard at work gutting a blighted house in the city, which will be fully reconstructed and renovated before it is sold to an income-eligible family in need. Gaining skilled work experience and giving back to the community at the same time is a win-win!

  • Luis Success Story

    Luis

    Luis is a CareerFORCE participant who is pursuing a career in healthcare and emergency medical services. He recently completed the classroom portion of his Apprenticeship with Cetronia Ambulance Corps and is currently working in Paratransit. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the main duties of Luis’s job have included driving elderly patients in the Lehigh Valley to their medical appointments and being there for discharges, where he transports patients from the hospital to their homes.

    Luis enjoys making a difference in people’s lives by helping them during these critical times, and he is proud to be an essential team member providing life essential services! Luis has had several opportunities to do ride-alongs with the EMT team, and he also assists with Spanish interpretation and lifting patients.

    According to Luis, his time at PA CareerLink® Lehigh Valley has taught him how to be professional and gave him the tools to succeed in his career. This ambitious rising star is thankful to be able to continue his training throughout the pandemic, while at the same time earning the income he and his family need!

Learn About Our Employer Success: Stuffed Puffs

It is probably a safe bet that everyone knows what a S’more is – that gooey combination of a roasted marshmallow, graham cracker, and a piece of Hershey’s chocolate. Many of us have fond memories sitting around a campfire and indulging in these sweet treats. But how do we solve the perpetual problem of the un-melted chocolate part of the S’more?

This is where Stuffed Puffs company founder, Mike Tierney, came in with a solution. He thought, “Why not come up with a way of having the chocolate melt from the inside out?” To do just that, Tierney came up with a proprietary method to stuff a marshmallow with chocolate. Even better, he decided to build a manufacturing facility here in the Lehigh Valley to make these unusual confections. That means plenty of new jobs and contribution to the local economy & workforce!

Stuffed Puffs plans to go operational with their Bethlehem facility sometime this fall. The company hopes to hire new workers through PA CareerLink® Lehigh Valley (stay tuned!) for positions ranging from manufacturing & production to packing, administrative and maintenance. According to the company, starting wages will average between $18-21/hour with full benefits.

Look for new job postings from Stuffed Puffs in the coming weeks, along with a strong likelihood of work-based training opportunities. This could be a sweet deal for lucky job seekers!

Written by Mick O’Hearn, Business Services Manager