Goodwill Industries Offers Adult Skills Classes

Most people associate Goodwill with discount clothing, but fail to realize that the organization as a whole has a much greater mission and impact. You see, every local Goodwill branch is tied to a larger headquarters that spans multiple surrounding counties, and the Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina branch is no different. The nonprofit center has served the community since 1926 and is recognized as one of the most efficient and powerful charities in the nation, with a substantial 89% of revenue generated pumped back into mission and outreach programs. As a result, 32,000 people in the greater Northwestern NC region are benefitted annually from Goodwill’s services.

Just what is the organization’s focus? The primary goal is to enhance the quality of life for persons from all walks of life, helping them sharpen their skill sets, further their education, and enter the workforce as prepared and qualified as possible. To this end, the nonprofit works tirelessly to provide enrichment and development programs that center on life skills needed to succeed in the professional workplace.

Goodwill Industries partners with local community colleges to offer hands-on skills training courses in fields that span from healthcare to office technology and a host of subjects and industries in between. The classes, which are held at the organization’s local workforce development centers, are open to anyone from the public and most are offered free of charge. Whether you simply want to brush up on your internet and computer knowledge, learn how to use an iPhone or iPad, speeden up your typing skills or master more advanced concepts such as digital marketing and managed SEO, you can find a host of information, backed by qualified educational professionals, at these centers. You can also find job-specific resources to help you fill a variety of roles, from Activity Director to Construction Worker.

The Goodwill of Northwestern NC, Inc. lists all available courses on its website, clearly detailing the dates and times of each one, along with pertinent information on the location and who to contact to learn more. For those who aren’t quite ready to enter the workforce yet, the centers also offer Youth Development Programs designed to help persons aged 14 to 21 discover their passions and learn as much as they can about their talents and interests. From programs centered specifically on helping foster youth thrive to paid work experience opportunities, diploma or GED assistance, and more, these free resources are invaluable to helping shape thoughtful, intelligent, and well-rounded youth who are ready and able to enter an industry of their choosing once that time comes.

Lastly, if you’re an adult who has yet to earn your high school diploma and you’re itching to complete the coursework required to graduate, you can find resources at the Goodwill of Northwestern NC, Inc. to help with that pursuit as well. In partnership with Forsyth Technical Community College, the nonprofit runs the Access Center, where individuals aged 18 and older can receive individualized services designed to help them graduate and secure job placement.

Thus, the next time you browse the racks at Goodwill and select a wardrobe for pennies on the dollar, you can walk away knowing that not only did you score a great deal on a great find, but you also helped fund some of our community’s most valuable and important nonprofit mission work. The professional sphere is quickly shifting and transforming into a competitive, tech-heavy space and the more we can help our workforce become qualified and adept at keeping pace, the greater our opportunity for community-wide success can be.