WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Goodwill provides a wide range of training, placement and workforce development services to help people develop the skills they need to find jobs and become more independent. These services are offered at our Workforce Development Centers and are offered in partnership with area community colleges, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Department of Social Services, Mental Health and other community organizations. 

Career Connections / JobLink Centers

Goodwill’s Career Connections Centers offer free, personalized services to aid in your job search. Services include: resume-writing assistance, skills assessment, career counseling, access to computers and high-speed internet, help with interviewing skills and placement services. Centers are located in Asheville, Elkin, Hendersonville, Hickory, Lexington, Morganton, Mount Airy, Salisbury, Statesville, Waynesville, Wilkesboro and Winston-Salem. For more information, email connections@goodwillnwnc.org or call (336) 236-8021.

Goodwill's JobLink Centers offer free professional outplacement resources to the unemployed and underemployed focusing on dislocated workers from entry-level upward. JobLink staff offer full-time assistance and are trained to work with individuals at all levels of experience. The center's resources and services include: computers with high-speed internet access, resume preparation, job search resource and video library, and networking workshops. Goodwill's JobLink Centers are operated under the guidance of the Northwest Piedmont Workforce Development Board.

Goodwill’s JobLink, under the Northwest Piedmont Workforce Development Program, is an equal opportunity employer/program and auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.  

Relay TTY number: (336) 714-3060.  Click here for information on Job Resource Centers in the Charlotte area. 

Project S.T.E.P. (Skills to Enhance Parenting) 

In partnership with Smart Start of Forsyth County, Goodwill offers parenting classes and learning luncheons for women who are pregnant and parents of children 0-5 years of age. S.T.E.P. educates participants on how vocational, economic, and parenting skills intertwine to provide a strong economic foundation for families with children. The program, which benefits Work First participants, is delivered in a classroom setting and helps clients develop coping strategies for balancing personal life while managing the requirements of a new job. For more information on Smart Start, visit www.smartstart-fc.org.  

Project Re-entry

The mission of Project Re-entry is to provide transition services for ex-offenders returning to Forsyth, Davidson, Davie, Rowan, Stokes, Surry, Yadkin, Buncombe, McDowell and Iredell Counties after serving active prison sentences. Project Reentry works through a system of pre- and post-release services that begin with inmates up to eighteen months prior to release. Long-term services continue after the inmates are released. Goodwill partners with the Piedmont Triad Regional Council and the Department of Corrections to offer employment and training services that help ex-offenders find jobs and become productive members of the community.  

Supported Employment Program

In partnership with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Goodwill provides services to individuals with severe mental and physical disabilities. The Supported Employment Program enables these individuals to obtain competitive employment through job development and placement, job coaching and long-term retention services. Goodwill partners with area employers to identify job opportunities for Supported Employment clients and provides support services to ensure employer satisfaction and client success. 

Community Access Program

Goodwill provides opportunities for individuals with disabilities by assisting with communication, finance management, functional academics, health and safety, independent living skills, leisure and recreation, vocational and social development, transportation and mobility. 
 

Goodwill ArtWorks greeting cards are created by the participants of the Community Access Program which serves adults with developmental disabilities.  More information about the greeting cards and other creative endeavors by the participants may be found at goodwillartworks.com. 

Employment Services

Goodwill’s ultimate goal is for people to obtain and maintain meaningful employment. Our Employment Services Department places trained participants in competitive employment and, in doing so, gives local businesses access to dependable employees who are well trained and willing to learn. Goodwill offers individuals an opportunity to perfect their job skills prior to employment through a wide range of activities designed to offer "real-life" experience including job coaching, mock interviews, internships and resume, application and job search assistance.

Success Outfitters

At last! A great place to donate those great business and business casual clothes that aren’t worn anymore and a solution to the right way to “recycle” them! Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina is now home to Success Outfitters. Success Outfitters provides women and men with limited resources in our community a great way to obtain appropriate clothing for interviews and a day on the job absolutely free. For more information, please visit successoutfitters.org

Youth Programs

 Visit goodwillyouth.org for information on Goodwill's services for youth.