Grace Leong

When Carol Kingston's husband developed health problems two years ago, the 52-year-old mother of five decided to get back into the work force to help improve family finances.

But her job hunt wasn't a cake walk. Kingston had been out of the job market for 30 years and was repeatedly rejected for the receptionist positions she sought because she didn't have computer and phone skills.

Kingston's prospects changed after she joined Skilled2Succeed, a private-public partnership aimed at helping individuals gain basic life and digital literacy skills needed to secure better-paying jobs.

"It's a very intimidating and humiliating thing to job hunt, especially after being out of the market for so long. They make you feel like you're not good enough," Kingston said.

Today, she is a receptionist and assistant to the vice president of human resources of Certiport, an American Fork-based computer certification company and one of several local businesses that helped create Skilled2Succeed.

Kingston is also one of 45 graduates of Skilled2Succeed, which held a ceremony Monday night at Utah Valley State College to honor its third graduating class.

The free 120-day program -- the brainchild of Certiport, Lindon-based technology company DirectPointe, and several other businesses -- incorporates life skills training from UVSC's Turning Point adult education program and computer literacy and training skills from Certiport and DirectPointe.

Upon graduating, students receive Certiport's IC3 certification, an internationally recognized proof of proficiency in using the Internet and basic applications such as Excel and PowerPoint. Staffing agency Adecco then provides interview training and job-placement assistance.

Between 80 and 100 people, most of them from Utah County, have graduated from Skilled2Succeed since the program began last year. Many of them have found jobs in marketing, administrative services, call centers, manufacturing plants and technology companies, including Novell, DirectPointe, Certiport, Micron and Coldwell Banker.

"The majority of the men and women who join our program are beaten down emotionally," said Michelle Scott, Certiport's vice president of human resources. "They are single moms and dads, whose spouses have passed on, are injured, or divorced, and who do not know how to get across the digital divide. We try to help them get the skills they need to get jobs that pay more than the minimum wage of $5.15 an hour."

Most Skilled2Succeed graduates make between $9 and $15 an hour, Scott said. According to the U.S. 2000 Census and other data, more than 14,000 single-parent Utah families live in poverty, with 26 percent of the state's children coming from working-poor families.

For Roxie Fonohema, 47, she said the program helped her to overcome a lot of social anxiety and self-doubt and support her family when her husband "decided he didn't want to be a family man."

Now an executive assistant with Certiport, Fonohema gives back to the program by helping to customize its computer training program for new students, mentor and teach its classes.

"Until I had these skills, I wasn't employable," Fonohema said. "They gave that to me. I am hooked on learning. Now we need to help other people gain this confidence so they can go out there and conquer."

Scott agreed, saying the program exists because of the pay-it-forward principle.

"The students are able to get the necessary life and job skills to land a better-paying job because of the free services and facilities provided by numerous businesses and groups like Certiport, DirectPointe, Mountainland Applied Technology Center and Women in Technology. Intermountain Healthcare and Novell also donated money to pay the six facilitators that teach the program," she said. "Many of the students can serve the program and as mentors to others after they graduate."

Certiport was recently asked to implement a similar program for the Navajo Nation in Window Rock, Ariz., she said. Employers and job-retraining programs seeking more information about Skilled2Succeed may send e-mail to Scott at mscott@certiport.com.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D6.