University News

Pipelines to a Job, Pathways to a Better Life

September 4, 2024 • By Alice Berry, aberry@virginia.edu Alice Berry, aberry@virginia.edu

Portrait of Joseph Ngoma taken while he was driving the University Transit Service Bus.

Joseph Ngoma, who works for the University Transit Service, came to Charlottesville as a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Photo by Emily Faith Morgan, University Communications)

Joseph Ngoma needed a job.

In Uganda, where he lived for 17 years as a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, he taught business classes and trained people in permaculture farming, a method of designing farms to be as self-sustaining and eco-friendly as possible. But limited access to resources and the mistreatment Ngoma said he suffered there meant he couldn’t remain in Uganda.

With help from the International Rescue Committee, Ngoma and his four siblings moved to Charlottesville in December 2022. The organization helped him and his family find housing and begin navigating immigration systems, but an administrative issue meant Ngoma didn’t have work. But he still needed to support himself financially.

“I told them, ‘I cannot have that grace (to not work), and I’m still new. Let me do anything,’” Ngoma recalled.

The IRC connected him to Pipelines & Pathways, a University of Virginia job training program launched a little over a year ago. After completing the HOOS Driving program, Ngoma has a job as a fleet technician with the University Transit Service service crew. He was one of the first hires made through Pipelines & Pathways.

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“Every time I need help, someone is there to guide me and to direct me to the right people,” Ngoma said.

Pipelines & Pathways addresses barriers applicants face – including transportation issues, finding child care, securing housing and overcoming criminal history – and connects them to community resources that may offer assistance. Pipelines & Pathways also provides job skills training, including resume writing, mock interviewing, basic computer skills, workplace readiness and financial literacy.

The program assesses an applicant’s skill levels and interests while assisting with obtaining full-time, part-time, temporary and wage employment in the University’s Academic Division, the University Medical Center, University of Virginia Physicians Group and other University-associated organizations, as well external employers like the City of Charlottesville.

As of Aug. 31, 194 people had found employment through the program. UVA Health boasts 105 Pipelines & Pathways participants among its workforce, while the Academic Division has 64. External organizations have hired 25 participants.

Through Pipelines & Pathways, Ngoma said he has found a family. (Photo by Emily Faith Morgan, University Communications)

But for Ngoma, Pipelines & Pathways hasn’t just been a way to find a job. At UTS, he has found an environment that feels like a welcoming and supportive family.

“In Uganda, there was emotional suffering, physical suffering. But now, all those things I forget,” Ngoma said. “Now, I’m like new.”

Ryan Washington’s journey in Pipelines & Pathways started closer to home. A Charlottesville native, he knew when he was in high school that he wanted to go into a skilled trades job. He enrolled in UVA’s Facilities Management Apprenticeship program before later connecting with Pipelines & Pathways. Currently, he is an HVAC technician for the City of Charlottesville, working mostly in city schools. Washington says he finds the job rewarding.

“I like knowing my job is getting done because they’re satisfied,” Washington said.

Charlottesville High School is Washington’s home base. He has even serviced his former teachers’ classrooms, like art teacher Jen Kett.

“It was energizing to see her face again, like the first day of school,” Washington said. “She was surprised; she was happy for me. We keep up on Facebook, but just to see me in person, it was special.”

Ngoma and Washington’s UVA journeys have continued through their enrollment as students in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, which makes a UVA education accessible to nontraditional learners. They each received scholarships to take cloud computing classes toward an undergraduate certificate at SCPS. The cloud computing certificate will prepare them to get Amazon Web Services certifications, which are in high demand in the IT industry.

“As someone who was a ‘non-traditional-aged’ student in my own educational career, I really appreciate the dedication of the working professionals in the SCPS cloud computing program,” said Eric Rzeszut, who teaches the first course in the cloud computing certificate program in addition to leading IT operations for the McIntire School of Commerce. “Ngoma and Ryan were excellent examples of this.”

Pipelines & Pathways participant Ryan Washington always knew he wanted to work in a trade. (Photos by Matt Riley, University Communications)

Washington and Ngoma still run into challenges. It can be difficult for Washington to stay cool – literally – and composed while working in Charlottesville’s heat. American life can be difficult for Ngoma to navigate. But someone at UVA, whether it’s Pipelines & Pathways manager Hollie Lee, an instructor at SCPS or a shift supervisor at UTS, is there to help.

“All the people you run into, they cannot all be good to you,” Ngoma said. “But you find all of these people who are at a high level who respect you, who love you. … I find I’m where I’m supposed to be.”