Programs
See our training and employment programs that offer the maximum opportunity for program participants to reach their full potential.
Employability Skills
Most employers are looking for job candidates who possess more than technical skills. They want employees who also possess strong soft skills. Sometimes referred to as “interpersonal skills” or “people skills,” soft skills are more social than technical. They are reflective of a person’s ability to communicate effectively with others, maintain good organization and time management, accept feedback from others, and problem-solve. While technical skills such as words typed per minute or machinery operation look good on a resume and help to get an interview, soft skills help to wow the employer so you get the job offer. On the job they help you to maintain positive relationships with supervisors, co-workers, and customers alike. These skills are also transferable so, regardless of where you work, your efforts to build strong interpersonal skills will pay off. What’s more, combining strong technical skills and interpersonal skills on a resume helps you stand out in a pool of job applicants.
What Is the Employability Workshop?
This three-day program provides a solid foundation for learning many of the soft skills needed to be successful in the workplace. Some of the skills we cover include communication, time management, and decision making. Upon successful completion of the workshop, participants are awarded a certification which they can add to their resumes and promote during interviews. At the end of the workshop, we schedule one-on-one time with each individual to help personalize their job search by providing the following services: Resume creation, job search assistance, interview coaching and work appropriate attire for interviews.
Custodial Training
Build your future. Custodial work can be a steady, well-paid job for many. There are jobs that allow you to work day or night. It can provide for you because there always seems to be a job open for a well-trained custodian. It can also be ideal for those who cannot or do not want to fit into the chummy, sociable, mandatory-happy expectations of retail and office work.
Goodwill can help you get and keep a custodial position.
We offer a nationally recognized custodial training program right in the Berkshires. In just three-weeks, two-year certificate from the OSHA-compliant Cleaning Management Institute. The program meets just three times a week and three hours per day.
This is what you’ll learn:
- Customer Service: An essential skill for a custodian, as well as on a personal level.
- The Chemistry of Cleaning: Learn the proper way to mix and use chemicals safely and understand the differences between sanitizing, disinfecting, and sterilizing items and surfaces.
- Basic Above Floor Cleaning: Learn the proper way to clean anything above the floor in a safe and efficient manner.
- Basic Hard Floor Care: Learn the best cleaning procedures to clean tile and the different types of wood floors without causing damage to them.
- Basic Cleaning of Carpeted Surfaces: Learn the best cleaning techniques to clean carpets, stain removal and shampooing methods.
- Basic Cleaning of Restrooms: Dirty restrooms containing bacteria and viruses are a leading cause of lost work time and lost productivity. Learn the best practices to prevent cross-contamination of pathogens from restrooms to keep you and your community healthy.
Graduates can also receive job-seeking assistance at our three Career Centers to assist with job searching needs.
We recommend that you take also our workshops to learn communication, time management, and problem-solving skills needed to succeed on the job.
Graduates are also invited to take certification training in CPR/First Aid/Automatic External Defibrillator and Bloodborne Pathogens to build their skill set.
Customer Service
Our new Gateway to Employment Program Customer Service consists of an online component that offers a nationally recognized Certification in Customer Service. This is a Customer Focused program, that emphasizes the philosophy that we are all each other’s customer.
The Customer Service Institute of America offers a system that allows students to access Customer Service training through a customized Goodwill portal. Through the portal the Mission Services team can access the progress of each student.
Once all 8 modules of the training have been completed the students are emailed their certificates.
How Does It Work?
Delivered over the course of two weeks, this is a time efficient way for an organization to have current and newly hired employees participate while taking only an hour or so of their work day. And for those seeking employment, this is an effective way to gain skills needed for a variety of jobs. Each module takes approximately 1 to 2 hours to complete. It is up to the employee to schedule time to take the course and go at their own pace to complete the 8 modules. Once all of the employees have completed the program the employees and facilitators will meet via zoom to discuss the program, respond to questions, and reinforce what has been learned. The time frame for completion is to be determined and enforced by the employee’s management.
This program is 2 weeks long with rolling enrollment open now.
Learn More About Our Programs
Goodwill Assists Those Who Want Help Getting Work
Here are just some of the people we help right here in the Berkshires and Southern Vermont.
Criminal Backgrounds
Developmental Disabilities
Immigrants
People In Recovery
Survivors
Veterans
Unhoused
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