Skilled-manufacturing program ‘game changer’ for local workers
Ashley McCray is a mother of nine children who has worked in warehouses for nearly 20 years. She will transition to a higher-paying career in manufacturing through a new program funded by the Tennessee Valley Authority, Moore Technical College and The Goodwill Excel Center. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
After 20 years of working in warehouses and several more driving a forklift, Ashley McCray is ready to move into a more lucrative career in skilled manufacturing.
“This will be my game changer right here,” the 35-year-old East Memphis resident recently said.
In June, McCray completed her high school diploma at The Goodwill Excel Center, an adult school at 2576 Thousand Oaks Blvd. that offers traditional diplomas at no charge to students.
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Aisling Mäki
Aisling Mäki covers health care, banking and finance, technology and professions. After launching her career in news two decades ago, she worked in public relations for almost a decade before returning to journalism in 2022.
As a health care reporter, she’s collaborated with The Carter Center, earned awards from the Associated Press and Society of Professional Journalists and won a 2024 Tennessee Press Association first-place prize for her series on discrepancies in Shelby County life expectancy by ZIP code.
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