Tag: Young Adults

Action is needed to prevent Congress from drastically cutting funding for job training programs that support Goodwill’s efforts to help people with employment challenges in your community to find jobs and advance in careers. Send a letter to your members of Congress and ask them to support the Senate version of the FY 2012 spending bill that funds the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.

READ MORE from Stand with Goodwill® in Supporting Funding for Job Training Programs

As a high school student, Sam participated in a work experience program with Goodwill that taught him valuable job skills. He continued to work with Goodwill after graduation, and his great work ethic earned him the position of team leader. An employee specialist at his local agency saw how hardworking Sam was and helped him advance in his career by connecting him with a position as a mail clerk at Medco. Sam says he now enjoys being able to provide for himself and his mother, and is proud of his newfound independence. Read on to hear Sam tell his story.

READ MORE from My Story: Sam Olmo

On Tuesday, October 11, 2011, the American Jobs Act was defeated in the U.S. Senate after it failed to attract the 60 votes needed to conclude debate. At Goodwill®, we stand ready to work with the administration and Congress to put Americans back to work and is hopeful that some of the promising aspects of the act will move forward, including increasing employment opportunities for veterans, people who are long-term unemployed, low-income adults, individuals with disabilities and youth.

READ MORE from Helping People Return to Work Remains a Priority for Goodwill®

Long-time friends Dwight Murphy and Bobby Bowers, both 23, dream of being in the music industry. They are realistic enough to know that they need to make a living while they pursue that dream, and turned to Goodwill of the Big Bend’s Career Training Center to explore their options.

READ MORE from Florida Buddies Get One-on-One Career Training at Goodwill®

Goodwill Industries® is proud to support National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). This year’s NDEAM theme is, “Profit by Investing in Workers with Disabilities.” For decades, Goodwill® agencies have trained and hired people with disabilities. Goodwill provided employment training and job services to more than 240,000 individuals with disabilities last year. people with disabilities, including youth, older workers, and military veterans. While more employers should recognize the value of hiring people with disabilities, Congress can also do more to increase their employment opportunities.

READ MORE from Goodwill Supports National Disability Awareness Month

Jeff in Bethesda, MD. asks "My niece was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was little. She’s 26 now and wants to start looking for a job. What can I do to help her?"

READ MORE from Career Support for Young Adult with a Disability

In the midst of the wrangling taking place over temporary spending for FY 2012, U.S. House of Representatives and Senate committees that have jurisdiction over final FY 2012 spending measures are working on their respective bills. On Thursday, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill to provide FY 2012 funding for the U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education. That bill proposes to provide $158 billion in discretionary funding for a wide range of programs including several programs that support local Goodwill agencies’ efforts to help people find jobs and advance in careers. The Senate FY 2012 Labor, HHS, Education bill would provide:

• Approximately $2.6 billion for the Workforce Investment Act’s Adult, Youth, and Dislocated Workers funding streams
• $100 million for a Workforce Innovation Fund, a decrease compared to approximately $124 million in FY 2011
• Nearly $450 million for the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), the same amount provided in FY 2011
• More than $3.1 billion for vocational rehabilitation grants to states, an increase from nearly $3.1 billion in FY 2011
• Sufficient funds to maintain the maximum Pell grant award at $5,550.

READ MORE from Goodwill® Urges Smart Investments on the Jobs Front

In 2009, after watching a string of teenagers who committed criminal activities come through his courtroom, St. Louis, MO, Juvenile Court Judge Jimmie Edwards took action. Along with MERS/Missouri Goodwill Industries and St. Louis Public Schools, he founded the Innovative Concept Academy, a school dedicated to addressing the needs of students at risk of delinquency. Edwards has been selected by the editors of People magazine as a finalist for the publication’s 2011 People Readers’ Choice Hero campaign based on his work with the academy. The winner of the campaign, determined by public vote, will receive $10,000 to use for his or her charitable cause.

READ MORE from Goodwill®-Affiliated Judge Named Finalist in 'People' Magazine Contest

In 2009, after watching a string of teenagers who committed criminal activities come through his courtroom, St. Louis, MO, Juvenile Court Judge Jimmie Edwards took action. Along with MERS/Missouri Goodwill Industries and St. Louis Public Schools, he founded the Innovative Concept Academy, a school dedicated to addressing the needs of students at risk of delinquency. Edwards has been selected by the editors of People magazine as a finalist for the publication’s 2011 People Readers’ Choice Hero campaign based on his work with the academy. The winner of the campaign, determined by public vote, will receive $10,000 to use for his or her charitable cause.

READ MORE from Goodwill®-Affiliated Judge Named Finalist in ‘People’ Magazine Contest

During President Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress on September 9, 2011, he referenced the American Jobs Act (AJA), and then delivered it to Capitol Hill requesting swift passage. As one of the largest nonprofit job training providers in the country, Goodwill stands ready to support the administration and Congress in efforts to put Americans back to work. Given staggering unemployment levels and alarming recently released 2010 Census data that reveals 2.6 million more Americans fell into poverty, we believe the time to act on a jobs bill is now.

READ MORE from Goodwill® Finds Promise in American Jobs Act