Goodwill Partners with local Baltimore Companies for Employees and Community
Local job applicants in Baltimore often face enormous odds in gaining career employment. Uncertain about how to prepare a résumé and how to dress for and respond during an interview setting, applicants can appear as if they are unprepared. Quite simply, they don’t know how to prepare. Goodwill’s Job Readiness Training program changes this situation. As a result, Goodwill annually places approximately 3,500 people into jobs at companies such as CVS, 7-Eleven, and other companies.
How
- Job Readiness Training – trainees develop skills necessary to obtain career employment and establish self-sufficiency
- Clerical & Computer Training – customized up-to-date computer training
- GED Prep – Classes for GED held in conjunction with Baltimore City Community College
- Custodial Skill Training – hands-on training to enter custodial and maintenance careers
- Senior Community Service Employment Program – job placement assistance for people 55+
- Buena Alianza Program – career readiness, case management and placement services for Latino population
- STEP Program – employment training and support for people with psychiatric disabilities
Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake has established win-win relationships with local companies in the region. Goodwill provides qualified career employees through its Job Readiness Training program, and the companies offer these hard-working individuals the opportunity to excel.
CVS and 7-Eleven provide two excellent case studies in which Goodwill trainees have taken career positions as sales associates, pharmacy techs, and managers. Moving forward, Goodwill looks to expand its relationship with more Baltimore companies to improve lives and communities.
“Every 38 seconds of every business day, a person served by Goodwill earns a job. Every 8 seconds another person accesses Goodwill opportunities to build careers and strong families.”
– Goodwill
Goodwill–CVS Partnership Success a Model for Area Businesses
In 2014, CVS formed a mutually beneficial relationship with Goodwill, instructing Job Readiness Training students in how to craft a résumé, dress for an interview, and speak with interviewers. The two organizations, each known for its prominent role in the inner-city community, realized they were onto something.
“Our trainees for CVS and other businesses must make the mental transition from going after a job to launching a career.”
– Sam Abney, Goodwill Business Specialist
Soon, 12 Job Readiness Training participants moved from mock interviews to real interviews for career positions within CVS. Nine of these individuals landed careers at a local CVS retailer, while three others sought employment elsewhere.
“Today we have 21 Goodwill Readiness Training graduates working as pharmacy techs and sales associates at CVS retailers from the inner city to the outer county,” Abney says. “We have people now working at CVS who want to come in and work with our new participants to start them on their own career path.”
Goodwill JRT Graduate Claims CVS Opportunity
Like many of her peers, Jasmine entered the Baltimore Job Readiness Training program lacking the skills necessary to acquire basic employment. Personable and bright, she’d never prepared a successful résumé or faced a job interview. Goodwill’s instructors taught her how to compose a proper resume, providing specific information about what a CVS manager would look for in that resume.
Managers from CVS also visit Goodwill to participate in mock interviews. In addition, retired HR personnel from CVS work directly with potential candidates through the program. Jasmine is employed today as a CVS pharmacy tech, and her goal is to become a pharmacist.
You have to want to really, really advance yourself, not just in a job, but in a career path. Make sure you really want to put in the time because it’s worth it in the end.
– Jasmine
Goodwill Trainees Seize Career Opportunities for Success, Promotion
7-Eleven assistant manager Ashley Pitcock graduated from Goodwill’s Job Readiness Training program two years ago. The former stay-at-home mom worked with Goodwill to revise her résumé and conduct mock interviews. She also borrowed professional clothing for her interviews. She is currently training for a general manager position and aspires to become a district manager overseeing upward of 15 stores.
The Goodwill relationship with 7-Eleven and CVS provides a blueprint for other Baltimore companies to follow in their quest for career-driven employees. The model demonstrates that graduates of the Goodwill Job Readiness Training program bring quality, dependability, and loyalty to the workplace.
“Our district manager, his first words are always, ‘Call Goodwill,’ any time we have an opening. Their people have a good work ethic, know how to do their job, and … they have the drive and the will to be something.”
– Ashley Pitcock
Job Commitment Equals Community Commitment
Goodwill-trained employees take pride in working in neighborhoods similar to their own, getting to know the local community, and playing a part in strengthening a neighborhood at its core. The Goodwill-trained employee retention rate at CVS, 7-Eleven, and other companies reaches 96 percent.
“Goodwill and CVS share the same mission, to bring prosperity into the community.”
– Sam Abney
Goodwill Continues Its Relationship with Trainees for Future Success
Goodwill maintains an ongoing relationship with all its trainees to reinforce their successful qualities. Trainees return to Goodwill regularly to provide progress reports, meet with mentors, and serve as successful role models.