On Friday July 27th, Mayor Shirley Franklin celebrated the graduation of 8 AWDA customers from the Warehouse Distribution Specialist program at Atlanta Technical College.

David Smetana, Vice President of Grainger, and Mayor Shirley Franklin congratulate the
graduates of the Warehouse Distribution Specialist program at Atlanta Technical College.

The Warehouse Distribution Specialist Program was made possible through a donation by W.W. Grainger of $10,000. After completion of the class, students were tested and received their forklift certification.

Many students expressed gratitude to the City of Atlanta, Atlanta Workforce Development Agency, Atlanta Technical College and Grainger for the providing them with the opportunity to change their lives.

"This was the most wonderful opportunity a person could have. Having worked in warehousing before, you think you know everything there is to know, but you don’t. Through this program, I was able to get certified," said Darlena Banks, a graduate.

“Success is getting up when you’ve had a hard time. In this case, each of you is successful,” Mayor Franklin told graduates after hearing they averaged a 4.0 GPA and 98% attendance rate.

During a reception following the graduation, graduates mixed and mingled with employers and passed their resumes out. Each graduate is currently working with AWDA to find employment in the Warehousing field.

Darlena Banks completes the technical portion of her
Warehouse Distribution Training.