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, Lexington, Salisbury, Winston-Salem and Statesville. For more information, email rgeiger@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 and are located in Winston-Salem, Salisbury and Statesville. Email joblink@goodwillnwnc.org for more information.
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.
elink Youth Program
Goodwill partners with the Northwest Piedmont Council of Governments to offer the elink Program under the Workforce Investment Act. The program provides year-round educational and job readiness/placement services for low income youth (16 – 21) with barriers to success. For those on a vocational path, elink provides job readiness training and paid work experiences designed to expose youth to the working world and help them acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to obtain a job. Those on an educational path are assisted in obtaining a high school diploma or GED. elink gives youth the skills and tools necessary to become better educated and better prepared for the future.
Project Re-entry
The mission of Project Re-entry is to provide transition services for ex-offenders returning to Forsyth, Davie, Stokes, Surry, Yadkin and Buncombe 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 Northwest Piedmont Council of Governments and the Department of Correction 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.
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.
