On June 20th we celebrated with a joyful group of grads. Ten New Mainers graduated the Goodwill Retail Skills Training program, a six-week long training that teaches students the different aspects of working in a retail environment with a focus on American work culture.
Goodwill staff, Monica Driscoll & Carol West, celebrate with the Retails Skills graduates.
The training is a 120 hour course consisting of 60 hours of classroom learning, balanced with 60 hours of on-the-job training at the Maine Mall Goodwill store. This year the class was made up of students from African countries having to start over their professional careers. Prior to coming to America their professional backgrounds varied. Some in the group had careers as college professors, lawyers, government administrators or bankers, others worked as event coordinators or store owners. All in the group beamed with thanks for the support received as they set out on a new path here in this country.
The Retail Skills training includes: customer service, workplace safety, loss prevention, merchandising and pricing, as well as effective communication training. In addition to the retail focus, students also get job-readiness training. Topics such as resume writing and interviewing skills are covered, as well as tech assistance such as learning how to complete an online job application.
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This training takes place out of the Goodwill Staff Development and Training Department in Gorham, Maine and is a collaboration with Workforce Solutions, with funding from the WIA grant.