September is National Workforce Development Month, and as it comes to a close, Goodwill of North Georgia is proud to highlight its success in facilitating workforce development through its mission of helping people find work. The National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP) created National Workforce Development Month in 2005 to celebrate workforce professionals’ contributions and promote events and initiatives that assist job seekers and employers.
According to the latest jobs report from the U.S. Department of Labor, the national unemployment rate is at 3.8%, a substantial increase from July and the highest since February 2022. As job seekers continue their employment search, Goodwill of North Georgia is committed to assisting them in finding a suitable job, a better job, and a career. In 2023, Goodwill of North Georgia helped more than 22,000 people find a living wage job.
Goodwill’s strategy in workforce development involves creating modern, well-equipped career centers that are easily accessible to the community. These centers offer various resources and services, including career counseling, job training, and networking opportunities. Goodwill empowers individuals to build successful careers and contribute to their communities by providing these resources.
Goodwill has recently updated its Pleasant Hill Career Service Center to provide career services to more people. The renovations include upgraded technologies that will improve the capacity for both in-person and virtual training programs. The center already offers a variety of training programs, such as forklift training, hospitality, medical administrative assisting, phlebotomy, and the GoodBIZ entrepreneurial program. Goodwill expects to assist over 1,200 individuals annually through its 95 training programs.
The career service centers have helped many people confidently reenter the job market with tenacity. For example, Lisa Edwards struggled to find better employment due to her age of 65. However, after visiting a Goodwill store and speaking with a career coach, Edwards learned how to leverage her education and 30 years of experience to gain confidence. Goodwill’s services helped her condense her four-page resume into one page, and they also devised strategies to enhance her LinkedIn page. With Goodwill’s guidance, Edwards landed the job she wanted. She continues to stay in touch with her career coach as they strategize different ways to maximize her LinkedIn account.
Goodwill has used the sale of donated items to fund job training and employment programs for over 120 years. These job services have provided life-changing workforce opportunities for the community. The organization remains committed to workforce development and helping people find employment regardless of economic conditions.
