YOUNGSTOWN – Despite temporary store closures and reduced operations, Youngstown Area Goodwill Industries positioned itself for growth in 2020 by expanding its retail presence, training programs and business services.
After several months of planning, Goodwill opened its 10th store and donation center in Greenville, Pa., in January, after moving its Salem store to 2350 E. State St. in December.
“We incorporated our goals with what we learned about the areas and the feedback we received from our customers to create an upgraded customer and donor experience,” says CEO Mark Goloja.
Also in 2020, Goodwill was awarded a three-year CARF Accreditation for Employment Planning Services in Workforce Development. These programs and services, which assist hundreds of people annually, proved to be especially relevant this year, Goloja says.
Goodwill’s workforce development department adapted and enhanced its offerings to help people prepare for and find gainful employment. In addition to transitioning to virtual services, Goodwill expanded its training opportunities to include a new information technology program and five health care training programs.
The nationally recognized healthcare programs train individuals for careers as a certified medical assistant, patient care, phlebotomy and pharmacy technician; or medical front office assistant and administrative specialist.
Individuals can also enroll in IT training options developed by Google and earn certification through the introductory Google IT Support Professional Certificate program.
Goodwill also offers the next-level IT course, Google IT Automation with Python, which focuses on Python, Git and IT automation.