Partnering with Goodwill Industries of San Diego County on the Job Readiness Certificate Program
Submitted By: Crystal Robinson
South Bay Adult Education Consortium / Southwestern
Website: southbayadulted.org
Type of Practice: Learner Transition
Program Area(s): CTE / Workforce Prep / Pre-apprenticeship, Adults with Disabilities
Region: San Diego - Imperial
Consortia Involved: South Bay Adult Education Consortium/Southwestern
Program Overview
Southwestern College and Sweetwater Adult School understood there was a need to increase job readiness for adults with disabilities' students and partnered with the Goodwill Industries of San Diego County on the Job Readiiness Certificate Program.
The Program of Practice
Southwestern College and Sweetwater Adult Ed identified the need to increase job readiness for various students groups, including adults with disabilities and career technical education students. The college targets their adults with disabilities population and the adult schools target their CTE population with this partnership. Both sides were looking for ways to increase their capacity to transition different groups of students into the workforce. The college has an existing career center for all students and an existing noncredit course designed to transition adults with disabilities to the workforce in general. However, there was a need to provide additional targeted support for students in that noncredit course. The adult schools had a need to provide targeted support for CTE students. CTE students were learning industry specific skills in the classroom, but also had a need for skills that would land them a job afterwards. The partnership with Goodwill is flexible enough to cater to adults with disabilities for students at the college and cater to CTE students at the adult schools.
The Response
Working with our consortium community partner, Goodwill Industries of San Diego County, we worked to incorporate Goodwill's Job Readiness Certificate Program into Southwestern College's noncredit Stepping Stones to Success in the Workplace course designed for adults with disabilities, as well as into each career technical education program at Sweetwater Adult Ed.
The Unique Features of the Program
Goodwill's Job Readiness Certificate program includes one on one coaching with a career advisor, as well as the following workshops: Ace the Interview, Create a Winning Resume, Communicate Effectively, Follow Up with Employers after an Interview or Hiring Event, and Find the Right Job for You.
The Outcome
We are in the beginning stages of refining our data collection, but have received overwhelming positive feedback from students. Several students have reported landing a job after completing the Job Readiness Certificate program. We are using the beginning of the fall semester to determine how best to move forward with data collection and feedback.