Goodwill Industries of Southern AZ Inc

The workforce development programs Goodwill Industries of Southern Arizona provided last year include: Group Supported Employment: Serving adults with development disabilities; our Group Supported Employment program provides low-ratio (2:1 or 3:1) job coaching and support services in the fully-integrated, community-based, work environments provided by our Goodwill retail stores. Participants work and interact with non-disabled co-workers while receiving the on-going training and support services needed for success. Our Group Supported Employment program is accredited by CARF (the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) and consistently receives the highest-level of accreditation available. Career Centers: Located inside our Goodwill retail stores; last year our six store-based community centers served 4,445 people. Services included assistance in conducting job searches, completing applications, and developing resumes; referral to needed community support services; and referral to appropriate training programs including GED training, certificate/certification training, and other post-secondary training. Pima County Arizona@Work: Through grants and service delivery contracts with the Pima County AZ@Work system, Goodwill provides programs and services throughout Pima County, staffed by 12 workforce development specialists. During the fiscal year a total of 2,737 participants and employers were served. The programs provide a diverse range of workforce and economic development programs for Pima County residents and employers and are described below: - Adult Case Management - Last year, Goodwill provided Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act (WIOA) case management services for 143 Pima County adults through Goodwill staff members stationed full-time at the AZ@Work centers. Goodwill staff members counseled AZ@Work participants regarding labor market trends, job availability, and career advancement pathways within area high growth-high demand industries. Then, based on the participant's interests and assessed skills, Goodwill staff members assisted participants to access WIOA training dollars, attend certificate/certificate or other industry-recognized training, and obtain employment with career advancement pathways in area high-growth-high demand jobs. - Adult Employer Outreach - Goodwill made 247 employer outreach contacts seeking Pima County employers to provide participants with training to gain the skills needed for long term employment. 187 job seekers were served through this program. Under a separate grant from the U.S. Department of Labor similar services were provided to 435 participants, with 201 receiving credentials and 171 placed in employment. - Workshops and Seminars- Goodwill provided employability skills trainings for 1,578 Pima County residents last year through Goodwill staff members stationed at the AZ@Work centers. Goodwill provided 834 employability-related workshops and seminars include: Employability Skills for Adults, Resume Writing Lab, and Basic Computer Skills for Job Seekers. - Youth Employer Outreach and Work Experience Training - 56 low-income Pima County students participated in our summer paid, employer-based, work experience training program. In addition, 23 out-of-school and out-of-work youth were also provided with training. Program youth gain work experience a real work environment with productive adult co-workers and a caring supervisor; learn the value of a paycheck; and develop job related hard and life related soft skills for multiple career pathways. Young Adult Reentry Program (YARP): The goal of the program is to establish or enhance partnerships with community colleges and build their capacity to work with students age 18-24 who have had justice system involvement. This enables these young adults to obtain the training, education, and experience needed to meet the needs of local in-demand industries and secure jobs that pay a living wage. The program provides career planning, case management assistance, educational interventions, assistance with enrollment at Pima Community College, employability training, certificate training in high growth demand occupations, and follow-along assistance. This program served 115 young adults during the year. Adult Reentry Program: Goodwill provides adult ex-offenders (age 18 and older) with the training and services needed to obtain and maintain employment in order to reduce recidivism. The program provides career planning, case management assistance, educational interventions, employability training, certificate training in high growth-high demand occupations and follow-along assistance. During the year 57 adults were enrolled in the Reentry Program. The Village Program: This program is a community violence intervention program and a hospital-linked violence intervention program. The intent of the program is to reduce crime throughout the Tucson community by providing trauma-informed intervention and case management services to youth who are at risk or injured by community violence. The Village Program coordinates services and resources within community agencies, county services, healthcare professionals and community groups in the city of Tucson. 89 individuals were provided with services. Growth Opportunity 4, Project Restore: The goal of Project Restore is to introduce and prepare justice-involved young people for work by placing them in paid work experiences and setting them on a path toward more equitable career opportunities alongside their peers. In addition to paid placements, the program includes occupational education and training in in-demand industries, leadership development, mentorship and post-work experience transitions into unsubsidized employment or post-secondary education. There are 34 participants enrolled in the program. Goodwill Youth Re-Engagement Centers (REC): The goals of the youth REC centers are to improve the long-term labor market prospects of low-income youth and to reengage out-of-school and out of work youth. Staffed by knowledgeable staff that youth trust and connect with; our Centers connect youth with community services and supports that are specifically tailored to meet their individual needs including academic tutoring and plan to return to school, earn a high school diploma or GED; career planning, employability skills training, and referrals to career pathway jobs; and referral to Goodwill and other area youth programs. The four REC centers served 2,225 youth during the year. The Goodwill Reengagement Project for Homeless Youth: has the goal of disrupting the causes of youth homelessness by engaging youth in leadership roles to provide a peer-to-peer approach to the engagement of homeless youth in educational and employment services and provide a pathway to access critical community services. The program connects and links youth with community services and supports, provide career planning, training, mentoring, job-placement assistance, and wrap-around supports. 115 youth were served through this program. Academic Services: Our Academic Services department delivers academic coaching that provides youth with the skills and confidence needed to stay in school and graduate on-time, return to school, earn a GED or high school diploma, increase their literacy and numeracy scores to enter post-secondary or other industry-recognized training, or study for an upcoming certificate/certification exam. The program also assists youth in qualifying for WIOA and other training dollars. There were 294 youth enrolled in the program; during the year 28 completed GED testing and 30 obtained a high school diploma. Youth Restoration: This program provides intensive workforce training, career development planning and paid work experience training for young adult ex-offenders, juvenile ex-offenders and at-risk youth. The activities include employability training, hands-on training; paid work experience training at Goodwill. Three youth successfully completed the program and moved to employment. Employee Career Development and Employee Assistance Services: Based on individual needs, our Employee Career Development services provide Goodwill employees with one-on-one career planning, assistance in remediating existing barriers, and job-specific skills training for advancement within Goodwill or to seek career-level advancement outside of Goodwill. In addition, the program provides employee assistance services, including crisis assistance and referral to community support services. Employees are also offered a competency-based blended learning environment with a focus on digital literacy, soft skills, financials skills, and career development skills. 709 employees were served by the program.