WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
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Pre-employment Services
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Community-based
assessment and training
Participants are placed
at work sites out in the community. Goodwill staff help them learn their
job duties, monitor their progress, and incorporate their evaluations into
employment planning.
Facility-based
assessment and training
This is used to help
evaluate an individual’s readiness to work and ability to perform tasks in
one or more specific jobs. Learning the tasks is measured as part of
planning for regular employment.
Formal
assessment (testing)
Tools used by Goodwill’s
staff help participants learn what kind of work they would like to do and
where they would most likely succeed. Formal testing includes IQ,
aptitude, and interest measurement.
Real
Time Work Assessment
This service for WorkFirst participants
provides an opportunity for Goodwill Workforce Development staff to
observe them in a real and paid work environment to help determine their
ability to perform in competitive employment. Different types of jobs
are available and training is provided.
Skills training
(classroom)
Varying by location,
Goodwill’s skills training programs prepare participants for specific
occupations:
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“Soft skills” training
Participants
learn how to set goals, develop a resume, prepare for job interviews,
select appropriate work attire, and manage personal issues such as child
care, transportation, and stress.
Work adjustment/hardening
Sometimes
individuals with disabilities participate in work adjustment to prepare
for entering the workforce. An example of work hardening would be a
person with an injury performing tasks while staff monitor his/her ability
to do so and evaluate any limitations.
Work
experience/school transition
Young
people with disabilities may be able to participate in job experiences
that will help them make the transition from school to work. One such
program, High School/High Tech, encourages the students to explore future
careers in technology.
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Job Placement Services
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Career readiness
Individuals with disabilities or disadvantages learn how to prepare for
work. Training includes developing resumes and cover letters,
interviewing skills, and filling out job applications. Participants may
receive assistance in obtaining a driver’s license or food handler’s card.
Group supported
employment
Under the guidance of a
Goodwill job coach, individuals with disabilities work at similar tasks in
close proximity. The job coach is able to analyze their tasks, train them
on their duties, measure their productivity, and provide retraining and
other support as needed.
Individual supported
employment
Goodwill’s job coaches
also play key roles in individual supported employment, providing
one-to-one training, ongoing monitoring, and methods to help one
participant at a time succeed at his/her job. Participants work at sites
in the community.
Job coaching and
retention services
Once a program
participant has obtained employment, a Goodwill job coach may work
side-by-side with him/her to learn and master job duties. Services to
help the participant maintain employment include working well with others
and meeting workplace expectations.
Job placement
Staff assist participants in
identifying appropriate openings, preparing a resume, practicing interview
skills, and completing applications. Staff may contact prospective
employers to find appropriate job openings and, as needed, participate in
the interviewing process. Sometimes staff assist with on-the-job
training.
Job search assistance
Goodwill staff help
participants explore different kinds of positions and locate job openings
that are possible good matches. Participants learn to use various
resources, which may include the Internet.
Vocational counseling
Members of Goodwill’s
Workforce Development and Social Services staff use their formal training and experience to assist participants
in setting realistic career goals, identifying steps to reach them, and
identifying and overcoming potential barriers to successful employment,
such as family or transportation issues.
WorkSource Spokane
affiliate
In partnership with the
Spokane Area Workforce Development Council and WorkSource Spokane,
Goodwill assists local job-seekers as an approved WorkSource affiliate.
Anyone seeking employment may use computers in Goodwill’s downtown Spokane
office for Internet job searches, applying for unemployment benefits, and
posting resumes and can fax resumes to prospective employers.
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Specialized Programs
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Community Gateway for ex-offenders
Under
contract with the Washington State Employment Security Department’s
Offender Employment Services, Goodwill assists offenders by connecting
them to partner agencies in the community with the goal of their
becoming able to obtain and maintain employment and stability.
Community
Jobs for welfare-to-work participants
Individuals who are
transitioning from public assistance (Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families/TANF) are able to earn income, gain work experience and establish
a work history from temporary positions lasting up to six months.
Goal of the program is obtaining regular, unsubsidized employment in the
community, becoming self-supporting. Funded by the Washington
Office of Community, Trade and Economic Development.
Inland Northwest Culinary Arts
This innovative 12-week
course, developed by Goodwill in northern Idaho, provides classroom and
hands-on learning to prepare students for careers in the commercial
cooking industry. Led by an experienced chef with guest instructors
from the hospitality field, classes are held in an actual restaurant,
using professional equipment and techniques. Students may receive job
placement assistance. For information about course schedule and
enrollment, please call (208) 263-3079.
Moving Forward
Under the Homeless Housing and Assistance
Act, counties and cities are required to allocate funds to reduce
homelessness. Funds are raised through surcharges on documents,
generally mortgages being processed. Spokane awarded funds to Goodwill
Industries to provide pre-employment services to men and women
transitioning from shelters or other homelessness to self-sufficiency.
Classes and individual vocational counseling help participants prepare
for work, identify goals and opportunities, and access other resources
in the community. For more information, please call 509.444.4700 in
Spokane.
PAYS - Planning Action for Youth Success
In partnership with the Spokane Area Workforce Development Council,
Goodwill offers low-income youth ages 17-21 opportunities to gain
training, paid work experience, and job placement services.
Participants learn how to set goals and prepare for job interviews and,
if necessary, are guided in how to complete their secondary education.
Ticket To Work
This work incentive
program is administered by the Social Security Administration for
individuals ages 18-64 who are receiving Social Security Insurance
and/or Social Security Disability Insurance. Goodwill is an Employer
Network that can provide pre-employment and job placement services for
recipients of Ticket To Work.
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