By Natalie Townsend
Published in The Williamson County Sun September 10, 2014
Navigating the waters of the job search is easier for some people than others. For those with barriers to finding employment, Goodwill Industries is helping to level the playing field.
“It’s the old adage–‘Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime,'” Shea Pullen, development manager at Goodwill Industries of Central Texas, told the Sun City Kiwanis last month.
Although primarily known for its thrift shops, Goodwill’s mission stretches beyond affordable racks of clothing and into employment programs that aid the homeless, the disabled, people lacking education, those with a criminal background and young people.
A $15,000 donation from Seeds of Strength this year has helped Goodwill Central Texas, which operates 31 stores in 15 counties, expand its presence in Williamson County and start a Job Readiness Training Boot Camp at Georgetown High School for students at risk of dropping out.
“We don’t get a lot of opportunities to work outside the Travis County area,” Ms. Pullen said. “We are so pleased to be getting outside grants from organizations such as Seeds of Strength to come into the Williamson County area.”
Over the next 10 years, Goodwill hopes to help 100,000 Central Texans improve their employment prospects. In 2013, Goodwill of Central Texas served about 14,500 people and helped 3,000 get jobs.
Gearing up for boot camp
The boot camp prepares students for the working world by instructing them in fundamentals, such as developing a strong work ethic, searching for and finding jobs, dressing appropriately for work, interviewing and more.
The program will specifically target at-risk students who are homeless or have unstable housing, live in poverty, have a history with the juvenile justice system, are in foster care or are pregnant or parenting.
The Seeds of Strength grant will also enable Goodwill to hire a coach for the readiness program. After-school sessions will last for six to seven weeks, but the program is about more than catch and release. Once the training is done, Goodwill of Central Texas will follow through by aiding students in the job search and supporting them throughout the employment process as a part of the organization’s mission to “generate lifelong connections to work.”
The organization’s goal is to serve 75 Georgetown teenagers by the end of the year, but “we aren’t stopping at that number,” said Matthew Figg, transition coordinator of youth services for Goodwill of Central Texas. “If we get more, we will keep going. We are serving as many kids as we can until May.”
In a letter to Seeds of Strength, Georgetown Teacher Daniel Santema said he supported the program.
“Expanding career programs for the youth population would have a great impact on our community–these young people would have the chance to develop the skills they need to complete their education, present themselves more effectively to employers and plan for a career,” he said.
Last year, Goodwill’s Youth Services Department began offering internships and vocational instruction for county youth with disabilities. Goodwill has also served hundreds of people through a job help center based out of Georgetown’s Community Resource Center.
Gaining Experience
Paid internships at Goodwill Central Texas offer diverse occupational experience for high school students and dropouts.
“Everywhere and anywhere we think they will get experience, we will take them there,” said Rachael Bristow, a placement specialist with Goodwill and graduate of Southwestern University.
Goodwill places interns in its own corporations as well as with outside organizations, such as the Texas Real Estate Commission and Keep Austin Beautiful.
In an increasingly competitive job market, employers fish for candidates with experience, but many unemployed teenagers do not understand the hiring process.
“A lot of people say, ‘I’m sorry, I’m not going to hire you because you don’t have enough experience,'” Ms. Bristow said. “How do you get experience when no one will hire you? It’s the worst catch-22 there is.”
This was the struggle for Maria Huerta, who graduated this summer. After her father broke his knee early this year, he could no longer work in construction. As a result, Ms. Huerta had to help pay bills and send money to her mother in Mexico.
“I had to work really hard to find a job and I was applying like crazy, but no one hired me,” Ms. Huerta said.
Ms. Huerta’s lack of job experience after high school was a barrier to finding employment, she said. After a month of looking for a job, Ms. Huerta’s friend directed her to the internship program at Goodwill. While working for the non-profit, Ms. Huerta earned a scholarship to attend Austin College in Sherman and got a job at State Farm.
“That one paid work experience can be the difference between getting a job and not getting a job,” Ms. Bristow said. “It can be the difference between minimum wage and making 10 or 11 dollars an hour. That’s a huge difference for a lot of our youth. It’s a huge difference for our clients overall at Goodwill.”
Vocational Instruction
The non-profit also helps youth with disabilities gain job experience. Special education students in Georgetown, Leander and Cedar Park began working in Goodwill stores last year.
The unemployment rate for special education students is more than 50 percent, but the students are fantastic employees, Mr. Figg said.
“Once they learn a job, they not only get jobs just from Goodwill, they get jobs from a bunch of other retail locations and restaurants,” Mr. Figg said. “Work-based experience just has a domino effect and opens up a lot of other doors.”