Mohammad Fayez Adli has lived more life than most over the past 27 years. Born in Afghanistan, Adli studied business, accounting and technology, earning three diplomas and one degree. He built a career in his native country working in logistics for the United States Army, transporting equipment around camps, managing subcontractors and local staff.

When Adli’s family fled his homeland in 2015, the IRC in Richmond connected Adli with the Community College Workforce Alliance (CCWA), the workforce development partnership between John Tyler Community College and Reynolds Community College.

His previous experience in logistics led CCWA to recommend he enroll in an eight-day training program for two certifications – Certified Logistics Associate (CLA) and Certified Logistics Technician (CLT) focusing on safety, quality control, supply chain management, receiving, storage, and other valuable industry skills.

Adli’s training took place at the beginning of May 2016, and later that same month, he participated in CCWA’s second annual Logistx Games – a competition showcasing teamwork and logistics expertise.  

 “It was really exciting for me. Everything was new. I did the packing, and my friends said I did great,” Adli explained. “The CLA and CLT classes convinced me that I needed to study logistics even further – everything was so clear. It was everything I needed to start working with a manufacturing or a logistics company.”

Adli found employment soon after the completion of his training. He now works as a manufacturing production planner at Hudson Industries, a local manufacturer of medical and consumer products. 

“I am still in the process of learning things, said Adli. “We have orders from the customers and everything has to be assigned to the production side to make them. I make sure everything is done by the delivery time.”

Adli is grateful to his family for their support and to everyone at CCWA and IRC for helping him prove himself as a recent immigrant to this country. “America truly is a land of opportunity,” he said. “Opportunity comes with education so we can work together to build a strong and vibrant society.”

This article by Amanda Christopther, staff writer for VCCS, was initially published on Virginia's Community Colleges' Blog, and is reproduced here with permission. The original article can be found here.