Building Connections Virtually – Meet Marc

Learn about our work as you get to know members of our team! Each team member plays an important part in our overall mission, helping families realize their dreams and achieve economic independence.

Marc Jackson
Training Manager,
Connections to Success

Creating Connections During COVID-19

Marc joined our Kansas City team over a year ago as a training facilitator. In that role he led community members through in-person Personal and Professional Development Trainings (PPD), bringing enthusiasm, insights and kindness to the classroom. The in-person setting created space for friendships and community to grow as participants shared stories and meals and worked together through hands-on lessons.

When COVID-19 hit the community and unemployment jumped, career services became even more critical. We shifted quickly to virtual trainings so services could continue under social distancing requirements. As we began hosting PPD over Zoom, Marc focused on ways to deliver quality experiences and foster interaction over video chat. The online format allowed the team to offer more flexible training times for jobseekers. Rather than attending 12 days of in-person training, participants can now join in the learning from their homes and choose either a morning or evening class time.

Leading in a New Role

When COVID-19 hit, the team quickly shifted to virtual trainings

Soon after the transition to virtual PPD, Marc transitioned into a new role: training manager. As training manager, Marc continues to support PPD participants as they build job skills and advance toward their career goals. He leads classes and also supports our team of training facilitators in the Kansas City and St. Louis regions.

As a member of the training team, Marc gets to know participants as they work through the 12-day training and can see them growing in confidence and direction. Marc says he’s motivated by the impact that participants have on themselves, their family and the community. He describes one Next Steps Ceremony (a celebration at the end of PPD) when a participant’s daughter spoke up in front of everyone attending to share how proud she was of her dad.

Working with Hope and Passion

In his role here at Connections to Success, Marc especially relates to our values of hope and passion. He connects the word hope to participants and their experiences. PPD Training is designed to help participants reignite their hope for the future as they identify their strengths and advance toward their career goals in a supportive environment. Marc connects the value of passion with his own experience. He enjoys his work and is committed to helping others transform their lives through new ways of thinking and by breaking down labels that hinder them.

We’re thankful to have Marc on the team and for the caring leadership he brings to his role!

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