Free short-term training helps mom-of-two retool and leave a low-paying job.
This article is published in collaboration with Generation.
A single mom of two boys, and more recently, caring for her aging father, Nadirah Mohamed Rifaat has not stopped working a day in her life.
She was a manicurist for 15 years, a job that only offered her one day off per week (Sunday), and very low pay. She liked the work, but it felt unsustainable. She worked all through holidays, even Christmas. In the final years before her kids would leave home, she wanted to spend more time with them. “I knew I needed a change,” she said.
During the pandemic, she was inspired by healthcare workers rallying to their communities. She realized this would be a perfect field for her to transition into.
She researched options and chose patient services associate as a role to aim for. That was when she found Generation.
While there were other programs for this line of work, Generation offered a shorter program duration and was free of charge—two crucial factors since her family relied on her income.
The line of work Nadirah aspired for entails being on the frontlines of healthcare, providing essential administrative and customer service support. It requires managing patient appointments, inquiries, payments, and may even provide some financial consultancy, while occasionally assisting doctors and nurses with tasks like measuring height, weight, and checking blood pressure.
She very quickly found work in the emergency department of a local hospital, exactly the kind of role she had hoped for.
“I like helping people. A lot of family members would come, and they’d get very nervous. But, you talk to them, you help them, and they’re thankful. It’s a meaningful job.”
Her salary is also much higher now. She recently planned a vacation with her kids, something that had not been possible for a very long time.
“I’m living more comfortably now. I’m in a stable place, financially. My kids see me a lot more at home now, so they are happy,” she said.
Generation
Generation is a global nonprofit that believes in the power of jobs to change lives. We train and place adults into careers that would otherwise be inaccessible. And we advocate to improve the workforce system. Generation has more than 120,000 graduates across 17 countries, who have collectively earned more than $1.5 billion in life-changing salaries.