Wuiner Joseph is a student at the Dan Marino Foundation Campus in Fort Lauderdale. The 22-year-old is one of the lead help desk technicians. He fields phone calls from students at the South Florida Institute of Aging.
“My job is to answer phone calls and check emails to see what to do and understand the computer technology and tablet,” said Wuiner Joseph.
“They call in to ask for various issues whether it be connecting to the internet or how they’re their using their tablet or iPad, he provides them hands-on tech solutions, walking them through what they need to do to get connected,” said Benny Mohall, lead technology instructor at the Dan Marino Foundation.
Wuiner is one of the hundreds of students at the Dan Marino Campus, getting ready for the corporate world.
“This campus is for young people ages 18-30. It’s a regular post-secondary program so if you want to study hospitality or technology, you’ll gain and earn the same certifications that you would at any other technical school or a four-year school, but we accommodate,” said Mary Martin, CEO of Dan Marino Foundation.
There are two programs, computer technology and hospitality. The programs provide real-world raining to help students develop the skills needed for entry-level careers.
Students are scheduled do mock interviews with avatars like Alex to help them prep for future job interviews.
“A lot of our young people are able to work the skill part and learning the job isn’t the issue. The issue is all the soft skills. How to do you act on a job and [communicate],” said Mary.
As for Wuiner, he’s excited to head out into the real-world one day and he’s dreaming big.
“My dream job is to be a CEO of a company,” he said.
The nonprofit continues to grow, later this year they plan to launch a new STEM pilot program for students. To help support the nonprofits mission you can participate in the “1.3 With Me For Autism” virtual walk now through April 13th. For more info, click here.
