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Our clients come to America with decades of professional experience and incredibly valuable skills. Lauren explained, “MARTA has a really difficult time finding people with diesel experience and Wisam had it in spades! People sometimes imagine that immigrants arrive in the United States without any work history, but that simply isn’t true. Wisam’s story is a great example of the IRC’s work to help refugees and immigrants use the diverse skills and talents they bring with them to serve their new community. If the bus is safe, other people will be safe, and that is important.” I check the oil, the antifreeze, make sure everything is clean and safe. Any job is dangerous, but everything is good in my job. When asked about working during the COVID-19 pandemic, Wisam said, “Yes, it is dangerous. Wisam was exempt from this order because his position is instrumental to a functioning public transportation system. Wisam’s first official day on the job was March 27, just three days after Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued a Stay at Home Order for the city of Atlanta.

#MARTA JOBS ATLANTA GA DRIVER#

MARTA also enrolled Wisam into paid commercial driver training so that he can legally operate MARTA buses after servicing them. By mid-March, Wisam was offered a job as a Journeyman Bus Technician at $22.75 an hour with benefits. After their discussion, Lauren called the Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), explained Wisam’s impressive skillset and arranged for him to interview. Career Development Coordinator, Lauren Bowden, met with Wisam in February 2020 to discuss his background, create a resume and formulate a career plan. This program focuses on vocational training and recredentialing to help refugees and immigrants return to their profession or leverage their skills in a new career pathway. Omar Aziz-the IRC in Atlanta’s My New School Program Coordinator and longtime friend of Wisam-identified Wisam as a good potential participant for the IRC’s Career Development program. He ran the business from 2014 until 2019, but when he began to face financial hardship, he was forced to close the shop. Wisam named this business Sam’s Auto Sales and focused on restoring old cars to their original condition. Wisam personally repaired over 1000 vehicles during that time.Īfter arriving in Georgia, Wisam worked in several entry level manufacturing roles for five years before he saved enough money to start another mechanic business in Scottsdale, GA. He explained that he always made a point to have a diverse workforce, employing individuals from Egypt, Sudan and other neighboring countries. In that time, Wisam managed a team of 10 mechanics. In addition to leaving his home country, Wisam also left behind a successful mechanics business that he ran over the course of 21 years from 1985 to 2006. The family were forced to flee their home in Baghdad in 2006 due to the increasing violence of the Iraq War. Refugee Resettlement Program in 2008, along with his wife and three children. Wisam first came to America through the U.S. Wisam is a Journeyman Bus Technician for MARTA.

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