Programs & Services
With the support of our donors and shoppers, Goodwill provides the following employment programs. For more information on these programs please contact 402-438-2022.
1010 N Street Lincoln, NE 68508 The Job Connection Computer Lab is located in the Workforce Development One Stop Career Center. The purpose of the lab is to maximize the employability of job seekers in a market that requires some computer knowledge in nearly all jobs. Individuals may receive assistance with resume and cover letter creation and templates are available for use. Staff members are also available to help guide guests through online applications. Classes or tutorials for basic computer skills, typing and data entry are also made available. Many of the tutorials are available in both English and Spanish.
(402) 441-4924
This CARF accredited program aims to assist individuals who are currently on probation or parole. Participants are referred to our non-fee employment services program for workplace skills training and assistance in their job search. The training that Goodwill provides insures that participants are given the tools to transition into and retain full-time employment. Our curriculum includes: Resume Building, Application Assistance, Job Search, Interviewing Skills, and Job Retention. In addition to the employment classes that are offered, Goodwill also teaches Life Skills classes. These classes include: Money Management, Time Management, Stress Management, Community Resources and Attitude. Read more
This CARF accredited program provides work opportunities to individuals whom meet admission requirements and have sufficient skills to operate independently in a retail setting. The program is intended to help participants gain the skills necessary to obtain competitive employment. Individual Program Plans are developed and reviewed to help the participant work towards achieving the long term goal of competitive employment. Retail Organizational Employment is a non-fee program with openings and schedules based upon the business needs of our many locations. Read more
Goodwill offers a variety of soft skills and employment training courses related to employment attainment, retention and interpersonal skills such as stress management using the Goodwill Works curriculum. Classes may be modified to train many different populations or organizations and are available as a fee-for-service program.
Community Support
Because of amazing donors and customers, Goodwill is able to provide services to thousands of people who face barriers to employment. Goodwill recognizes that services provided by peer agencies prepare people served by Goodwill to better succeed in Goodwill’s employment programs.
It is with this understanding that Goodwill provides funding to colleague agencies to help with their own programs that align with Goodwill’s mission of willing workers employed and community resources maximized.
In 2013, Heartland Big Brothers Big Sisters (HBBBS) will expand it's programming with the help of Goodwill. Through funding support from Goodwill, the agency will offer extended employment preparation and career exploration through its one-to-one mentoring program. Big Brothers Big Sisters’ mentoring is proven to help youth to improve in school and in their personal lives. Big Brother and Big Sister mentors model and teach responsible behaviors. This often includes the importance of being on time, phone etiquette, how to effectively communicate with adults and the importance of high school graduation. Developing these skills helps successfully lead youth to future employment. Mentors also often help youth to explore career and educational opportunities. In addition to the organization’s traditional mentoring program, the agency will also host educational match activities that enhance students’ classroom experiences and give them the opportunity to explore various careers. These match activities will focus primarily on science, technology, engineering and math fields and the employment skills needed for the jobs youth either have now or hope to gain in the future. Heartland Big Brothers Big Sisters’ vision is that all youth achieve success in life. Through Goodwill’s support, the agency is helping youth to gain the valuable life skills needed for future employment.
The Arc of Lincoln has received funding from Goodwill Industries Serving Southeast Nebraska, Inc. to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities find, secure, and maintain employment. With the support of Goodwill, The Arc of Lincoln is hosting a series of informational sessions, creating an employment handbook, and making staff available for employment support. Activities will include a visit to Goodwill’s Job Connection computer lab and training on appropriate interview apparel at a Goodwill store, with vouchers made available for those that complete the training. “The Arc of Lincoln welcomes the opportunity to work with Goodwill to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities gain employment,” said Dick Longacre, Executive Director of The Arc of Lincoln. “This program will be of great value to the families and individuals that The Arc serves.”
We currently provide employment classes to individuals who are on probation and/or parole at the Day Reporting Center. However, we have tried several times to launch programming that would occur inside of the prison. As a part of that process, we came to know Mr. Jim Jones who founded Community Justice Center. Community Justice Center offers programming that helps ex-offenders with the victim and community impact portion of their rehabilitation. We have contracted with Mr. Jones to add a Goodwill employment readiness component to the services he provides inside the prison. We have determined that the victim impact programming is antecedent to moving forward with other employment readiness and job search activity. Through this collaboration we hope to aide these individuals with lower recidivism rates and help them transition back into the community.
“This partnership is a win-win-win,” said Lincoln Literacy Executive Director Clayton Naff. “It will benefit Lincoln Literacy, Goodwill, and most importantly, the refugee and immigrant families who are our students.” The goal of this cooperation is to create a smooth transition between the programs and workforce for students. Selected Workforce Readiness students will undergo a brief training session and be personally guided through the registration process at the One Stop Career Center, where Goodwill provides a variety of employment services. “It can be difficult to navigate through two separate programs, especially for students learning English,” said Naff. “Working together, we can make sure that our students have a smooth transition and that they are able to take full advantage of all of the services available.”
