Workforce Programs
G
oodwill’s mission is changing lives through the power of work. Goodwill specializes in helping people develop their gifts and skills so that they can secure meaningful employment.
Goodwill provides education, training, and career services for people with disabilities and other barriers to employment. Our broad range of programs and supports serve a diverse set of individual and community needs. When individuals participate in Goodwill’s services they receive real life work experience, ongoing support from qualified and dedicated staff and opportunities to develop relationships in a diverse setting.
In addition to helping people prepare for, find, and keep good jobs - Goodwill offers related support services such as financial literacy training, onsite food pantry, clothing support, high school equivalency classes, tax preparation services, resource assistance, skills assessment, personal coaching, and referral to community partners for additional services.
Hours of Operation
Monday - Friday: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Program Measurements and Outcomes
Through referral from Erie County and ACCES-VR (Adult Career and Continuing Education Services-Vocational Rehabilitation) Goodwill offers:
Career Assessments
Interest inventories, physical capacities, academic aptitude, learning style, work habits
Job Seeking Skills
Completing applications, resume development, interviewing skills, one-on-one mock interviewing with community partners, dressing for the interview and workplace
Work Experience
Real life training in retail, warehouse, assembly/production, janitorial
Soft Skills Development
Time management, getting along with others, importance of attitude, self-advocacy
Manufacture Your Future
Goodwill’s Manufacture Your Future program connects people with jobs, and companies with good workers. We help motivated people develop hard and soft skills while gaining the hands on experience necessary to land a permanent full time job and start on a career pathway.
Veteran Services
Goodwill has been serving the employment needs of veterans in Western New York since 1945. Our Veterans Employment Services division is committed to helping veterans and their families make the transition from unemployment or underemployment to successful civilian careers.
Success Stories
Thanks to the programs made possible by your donations, people are earning paychecks and providing for themselves and their families. Our success can be measured by the success of the people we serve — people like Carra, a single mom with learning disabilities and other challenges who is thriving in the very first job she has been able to retain and is continuing her college education; Jonathan, who never gave up on his goal of becoming the first person in his family to graduate from college; Edward, a US Air Force veteran who has transitioned into a successful career as an industrial electrician.
Goodwill is proud to be CARF accredited. This credential demonstrates our commitment to excellence in the vocational rehabilitation field.