Ahmed’s Story: Father of three works with Avivo to find training, enter new career

Ahmed is proud to provide for his family now that he’s started a new job and career. Since 2015, his family has been on a difficult journey, moving from Mogadishu, Somalia, to the United States, and eventually to the Twin Cities.

With Avivo’s help, Ahmed has completed a commercial driver’s license (CDL) training program, passed his tests to obtain his CDL license, and has now started a job as a professional driver for a trucking company.

When he, his wife and three sons moved to Minnesota, Ahmed’s first job was working at a chicken farm in Marshall. He soon changed jobs, working for a frozen food company, before moving to the Twin Cities and becoming an Uber driver in 2018.

Ahmed was able to earn a living by driving for Uber until COVID-19 struck and he lost a significant portion of his wages. That’s when he came to Avivo for help.

“Because of COVID-19, I lost business in driving so I needed support. I looked to Avivo for training, for school … Now I’m good. Avivo helped me earn my CDL certificate. After Ramadan, I’ll start working.”

“Because of COVID-19, I lost business in driving so I needed support. I looked to Avivo for training, for school,” Ahmed shares. “Now I’m good. Avivo helped me earn my CDL certificate. After Ramadan, I’ll start working.”

Avivo’s employment services staff helped Ahmed find funding to get his CDL. They are proud to see him move off public assistance and begin to provide for his family independently.

“I’m happy for him and for his family,” shares Khalid, career counselor at Avivo. “It’s a good feeling when someone who’s been working with Avivo can leave and move on to support themselves and their families.”

Now that Ahmed has his certifications and is working as a professional truck driver, he’s also able to start thinking about the future.

“I’m hoping to earn a diploma through education, and I want to own my own trucking business.”