Get employed. That’s the WorkDev Solutions mantra – and their mission. At the end of the day, it’s about impact – and that’s what they measure: How many people did we help find employment this year? 

The WorkDev Solutions Difference: Individualized Assessments and Simulated Work Environments

When people ask what we do, I describe us in one word: employment. We help people get employed. 

I entered the workforce development industry in 2014 when I started work at Per Scholas, a technical training school based in Silver Spring. Over the course of my time there, I saw gaps in the standard industry approach that I thought I could fill if I set up a company. 

One of these gaps has to do with assessments, specifically how the training companies assess individuals. Therefore, one way we differentiated WorkDev Solutions was to design assessments that dig deeper into the individual. We seek the best way to help each student with their career journey. When people come for training, they say they want a career in “IT.” However, information technology is an umbrella term for many job pathways. Which of these jobs does the individual actually want? Which are they best suited to? So, before working with individuals, we ask basic questions that explore how much they know about IT. Then, we follow up with questions like: “Why do you want a career in IT – and why do you think you would do well in this Industry?” 

Additionally, most training organizations do what they call “hands-on” training. However, there’s typically a lot of material to impart in a 12-week or 15-week course. So much information gets thrown at people that not much training can be truly hands-on. What we did was add a component called “job simulation training.” Using industry-recognized software, we can give students a simulated experience of working in an IT job: on a help desk, for example, taking tickets, and other tasks associated with that role. So when they interview, they have a grasp of the actual job, and their conversation and questions can reflect that. That’s another gap that we’re able to fill.

Developing Well-Rounded Professionals

Our success doesn’t come 100 percent from the curriculum. One of our programs is called “WorkDev Professionals.” This is a network of industry experts, alumni, and hiring managers who come together with our students to help them envision their possible futures in IT. 

Over the years, I’ve trained over 1200 people; today, they are everywhere in the industry. Many of them have been able to achieve great things. They began with IT training like the ones our students are in, and today they’re well placed in organizations, making good money – and they’re able to help others trying to get into the field. So, our students get to mix with people who started where they are now and get a true sense of what’s possible. 

What our students get from this network is the confidence to be successful. We help them realize they can do it because people just like themselves have done it and are doing it. 

Developing our students’ professionalism is much of what we do all along the way. We use the term “professional career skills” because we think the term “soft skills” minimizes the importance of these skills. We start every training with three words: Preparation, Presentation, and Communication. Occupational skills are essential, but professional career skills are critical to obtaining and keeping employment. I tell our students that no matter what they end up doing, if they master these three skills they will be above average. So, that’s what we start with. We also teach the students to hone these skills independently instead of providing templates or doing it for them. To use the old maxim: we teach them how to fish rather than giving them a fish. Witnessing their growth in confidence is truly rewarding.

Home-Grown Talent at WorkDev Solutions 

I’m Montgomery County born and raised. I grew up in Silver Spring and went to St. Andrews near Kemp Mill for elementary school. After that, I attended St. Johns for high school, Howard University, and then George Washington Law. So I was in D.C. for most of my education, but always living in MoCo.

Also, I’m from an entrepreneurial family. My dad had his own business, and my uncle had his own business. My brother had his own dermatology practice in Georgetown for years. So, I saw the entrepreneurial journey while I was growing up. I saw how they made their own paths to success. 

I started WorkDev Solutions in 2019 and formed the LLC in 2021. I’m a for-profit (LLC), but some 90% of WorkDev Solutions' work is with nonprofits and workforce development boards like, among others, Employ Prince George’s, TCCSMD – Tri-county Council of Southern Maryland (St. Mary’s, Calvert, and Charles County), and now WorkSource Montgomery.

Additionally, I’ve had some great mentors. I’ve learned a lot from people like Knowlton Atterbeary, with KRA - (the largest minority-owned workforce development company in the U.S., based in Columbia, Maryland); Walter Simmons, the CEO of Employ Prince George's; and Anthony Featherstone, the ED at WorkSource Montgomery. Those guys are titans in the industry. I want to name them because they have been extremely generous as mentors, and I’ve learned so much from them. 

I partner with these boards to help serve the community. I look forward to more years serving the county where I was born and raised.

Partnerships are also great. We currently collaborate with Evan Jones at XA Talent, an adjacent company that gives us stronger connections to employer partners in the IT industry who are looking to hire strong talent. 

What’s next for WorkDev Solutions is to add additional training in new industries, expand into more states, and help more people. I’d also like to master utilizing AI (artificial intelligence), the next disruptor across industries. I believe it can help us develop more creative ways to get individuals employed in the many available IT jobs.

Every day is a new challenge and a new opportunity for growth. 

Advice for Other Small Business Owners

Look forward to failing. Failing feels to us like a bad word. But I advise other small business owners to embrace failures because they allow us to learn and grow. I’ve gotten comfortable with failing so I can learn. The more I fail, the better I become.

Also, recognize the experts in your field and go out and meet them. The network is extremely important to your success. Don’t shy away from taking on new challenges and meeting new people in your industry.