Associate Story: Finding a Career Path Through the Aspire Academy Amid a Global Health Crisis

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Eric Barnett’s path to finding a career he’s passionate about has been guided in large part by his family. After Eric’s wife became a registered behavior technician, he entered the field himself. While he enjoyed it, Eric saw the role as a job, and he was looking for a career to call his own.

Eric first learned about Adecco from his brother-in-law who was employed through the staffing firm, and loved his job in the automotive industry. Through his brother-in-law’s experience, Eric saw firsthand that Adecco was a reliable employment partner, and they offered opportunities that could give him the stability and career he craved.

“I didn’t even talk to any other staffing companies,” said Eric. “Adecco had a great reputation, and they offered exactly what I was looking for.”

On a whim, Eric applied for a role at the same automotive plant where his brother-in-law was working, and Adecco hired him for the position. The Adecco recruiter led him through orientation, which is the first time Eric heard about the Aspire Academy. He thought it sounded interesting, but he was immersed in learning his new role.

During his new employee training, Eric learned that the plant would be suspending production due to health concerns caused by COVID-19. On his final day of training, he received an email inviting him to take advantage of courses through the Aspire Academy.

“I immediately saw the Aspire Academy as an opportunity for me to better myself and further my career. The courses were free, and since my start date was now delayed by a few weeks due to the Coronavirus, I thought, why not give this a try while I have the time?”

Eric jumped in headfirst, starting with three courses: Stress and Time Management, Personal Finance and Interpersonal Communication. He believes all three of the courses were really valuable for different reasons.

“I had always struggled with managing my time and stress, and I learned some great tools in that course. And the communications course will no doubt help me build relationships at work. My favorite course so far, though, has been the one on personal finance. It teaches you about everything from calculating the cost of a car to understanding stocks and bonds. Everyone should take it!”

What drew Eric to the Aspire Academy? Well, it’s free of charge, and it’s self-guided, so Eric learns at his own pace. The Academy also teaches Eric new skills that will help him as he begins his new career path. And, this training makes Eric more valuable as an employee.

Next up for Eric is the Career Readiness Bootcamp. In the future, he has his sights set on a supervisor or manager position, so Eric is hoping to learn more about how to be a great leader that people will want to follow.

Eric’s advice for other Adecco Associates who are thinking about taking a course or two? “Just jump in and do it! It’s the easiest, fastest way to improve your career, and it’s a way for you to show initiative, too.”

While the COVID-19 pandemic has created some uncertain times for all of us, Adecco is committed to helping our associates weather these times to come back even better and stronger than before. The Aspire Academy is a way for us to assure our associates and clients that we’re all in this together. We all play a role in rebuilding our businesses, one person at a time.