When new acquaintances learn about my role at Goodwill, they instantly relate to our thrift stores and donation centers. That’s certainly understandable, given the visibility of Goodwill stores throughout the Las Vegas Valley and the states from which many of us hailed before calling Southern Nevada our home.
Each day, about 5,500 shoppers and 2,400 donors visit one of our 18 Goodwill locations. As our team members welcome customers on the sales floor or wave cars into a drive-thru, it’s not often we have time to explain what purchases and donations at Goodwill make possible.
Goodwill was founded more than 100 years ago with a simple-yet-profound guiding principle: saving the waste in people and things. While the benefits of thrift shopping are well known—unique finds, great deals and sustainability chief among them—the people side of that equation is served by the programs that drive our nonprofit mission to reduce the impact of poverty on our community by helping Southern Nevadans obtain local employment and upward mobility.
Our stores not only provide revenue to support ongoing and new programming, they also act as a training platform, providing job skills and leadership training for team members to advance either within Goodwill or with other local employers.
Goodwill career coaches help job seekers with barriers to employment find meaningful work and thriving careers outside our walls. Some people need brief support to convert a letter of intent to hire into employment. Others are looking to establish a career path that provides financial stability and growth potential, requiring intensive and personalized career services, which Goodwill provides at no cost to the job seeker.
Recognizing the region’s demand for skilled workers in growing industries, Goodwill sought to craft training programs that meet employers’ hiring needs, shorten the instruction window and facilitate immediate employment. We refer to these training models as “train-to-hire” programs.
About two years ago, to deliver on this “train-to-hire” promise, we introduced innovative Training Sprints (SM)—accelerated professional skills training that moves participants into a high-demand career as quickly as possible. The initial thrust of our train-to-hire programs focused on two industry sectors facing severe worker shortages: health care and skilled trades.
Our health care training programs usher in the next generation of medical assistants (MA) and certified nursing assistants (CNA). The 90-Day MA, a partnership with NV Careers and Intermountain Health, recently graduated its fourth cohort. Students who successfully complete the three-month program qualify for a paid 1,200-hour externship with Intermountain Health while they earn their Certified Clinical Medical Assistant certificate.
For those interested in training as a CNA, Goodwill’s weeklong bootcamp, led by NV Hope, helps participants discern whether a health care career is right for them. Should the weeklong program’s exposure to local health care leaders and hiring professionals, experience in the simulation lab at UNLV and professional career preparation reinforce their commitment, the next steps are formal CNA training, passing the licensing exam and employment.
Of course, the need for workers extends beyond the medical field. Goodwill’s two-week Stagehand Training program opens the door to careers up, down and off the Strip, where stadiums, arenas and other event venues need installers and movers of seating, stages, furniture and equipment. The two-week course includes OSHA 10 certification and leads to employment opportunities throughout the Valley.
With program completion, hiring and retention rates that exceed 90%, the outcomes are encouraging for employers, job seekers and training partners. In addition, participants appreciate the individual attention Goodwill career coaches provide from initial inquiry onwards, while employer partners are highly satisfied with the enthusiasm and quality of program graduates. Employers also benefit from Goodwill’s assistance in recruiting and training a more diverse workforce.
Goodwill efforts also extend to veterans and active-duty military families. As a veteran myself, I understand the important role a second income can play in veteran families, particularly those of our younger soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and guardians. Our medical training programs are especially appealing to military spouses in need of stable, transferable and rewarding careers as required moves take their families from place to place.
Guided by our vision of a thriving Southern Nevada community in which every person who wants to work is employed and able to reach their full potential, we make a simple yet far-reaching compact to the communities we serve: When you shop and donate at Goodwill, you enable us to train people for jobs and thriving careers.
Together, we put our goodwill—and your Goodwill—to work toward a brighter future for us all.
Rick Neal is president and CEO of Goodwill of Southern Nevada.