Goodwill North Georgia celebrates graduates of workforce training program

Goodwill North Georgia is celebrating the workforce training program’s latest graduating class.

A ceremony for 370 graduates is set to take place Thursday at Truist Park Delta Sky Club with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens as a guest speaker and Rodney Bullard, CEO of The Same House, delivering the keynote address.

According to Goodwill, more than 40% of the graduates have already secured jobs with such places as Amazon, the Georgia Department of Transportation, FedEx, MARTA and more.

Credit: Courtesy of Goodwill North Georgia

Goodwill of North Georgia has more than 100 stores and donation centers. Profits from store sales are used to fund free workforce training programs at 14 career centers.

The workforce training programs also benefits from donations from foundations. In March, Goodwill North Georgia received a $300,000 grant from the Coca-Cola Foundation for programs serving women in unconventional professions. Last fall, the nonprofit received a $200,000 grant from the Truist Foundation to benefit Goodwill’s entrepreneur program.

A goal of Goodwill North Georgia is to serve the underemployed . In 2021, CEO Keith Parker told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that visitors to the career centers at times have a record of chronic unemployment or former incarceration but the job training offered has helped most reach stable employment and move beyond entry-level positions.

The organization reports connecting more than 22,000 people to jobs over the past year.

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