CLARKSTON, Ga. — A DeKalb County business is growing careers, after receiving a nearly $400,000 grant.
Tekton Career Training focuses on providing job training for refugees.
Channel 2′s Kristen Holloway explained how these funds could change the lives of students.
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Tekton is a DeKalb business that was created about eight years ago and is expanding its “Empower Clarkston” program.
“The primary vision was to provide pathways and upward mobility for this community. We focus primarily on construction trades so welding, electricity, carpentry, plumbing,” executive director and founder of Tekton, Luke Keller, said.
Tekton also offers coding, web development and software engineering classes.
Tekton just received a combined $375,000 from DeKalb Super District 6 Commissioner Ted Terry and the city of Clarkston.
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Keller explained how the money will help grow the program and help refugees: “Primarily be able to serve more and more people from this community. Refugees are 10 times as likely as the average American to be unemployed and we saw a huge need we could meet by giving them the pathway to upward mobility and a direct connection to career opportunities.”
Keller is expecting to train even more students very soon in Tekton’s Clarkston classroom.
The maker’s room is for students who want to become entrepreneurs. Tekton has an area for those who want to be artists and an area for plumbing. With the new funds, Tekton is hoping to start even more programs.
Malek Alarmash graduated from an introduction to software engineer program in May.
“I went through it; I built my own website. I learned three to five languages and I start getting a community behind me who supports me along the journey,” Alarmash said.
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Keller says it’s all about upward mobility at work.
“They need advancement in the jobs and the best way to do that is provide the type or training that equates to get great jobs,” Keller said.
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