New initiative, funded by Google, will help Fort Worth area residents advance their careers
WHO:
Free and open to the public
WHAT:
Goodwill North Central Texas will host an open house and tour of their new state-of-the-art digital skills training facility – the Goodwill Digital Career AcceleratorSM. The event will also feature a job fair with eight area hiring employers, free Kona Ice for the first 50 attendees and a resource fair showcasing other Goodwill North Central Texas job training and placement programs.
Courses in the Digital Career AcceleratorSM are free and provide digital skills that develop more marketable workers for the digital age. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, there are more than six million job openings in the United States. Many of these jobs remain unfilled because job applicants lack specific skills employers report they need, such as digital literacy.
Digital skills include basic computer skills that would be used to establish an email address, apply for a job or perform many entry-level tasks such as word processing and Internet use. More advanced digital skills include computer support or programming, digital marketing, and cybersecurity, which are increasingly relevant for achieving well-paying, in-demand careers across the country.
Funded by a $50,000 grant from Google.org, the new Goodwill initiative will enable more than 11,000 people — including people with disabilities and disadvantages, youth, older workers, veterans and military families, and people who are transitioning back into society — to receive digital skills training over the next three years. In addition, Goodwill North Central Texas will offer 100 individuals the opportunity to receive free Microsoft Office Specialist Certification in Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access and Outlook. The free certification is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
WHEN:
Friday, September 7, 2018
2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
WHERE:
Goodwill – Digital Career AcceleratorSM
4005 Campus Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76119
WHY:
Goodwill is more than a thrift store. The largest employer of people with disabilities in the world, Goodwill believes that work has the power to transform lives by building self-confidence, independence, creativity, trust and friendships. Everyone deserves this chance.
Goodwill North Central Texas’s 23 retail locations provide revenue through the sale of donated goods to support Goodwill’s mission – job training and career services for people with disabilities, such as physical or mental disabilities and other barriers to employment including lack of education or work experience and homelessness. For more information on Goodwill North Central Texas, please visit www.goodwillnorthcentraltexas.org.
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