Goodwill and Thomas Nelson Community College kick off WIRED for Success Program
October 4, 2017Goodwill of Central and Coastal Virginia and Thomas Nelson Community College (TNCC) joined forces on Monday, Oct. 2 to kick off WIRED for Success, an electrical training course.
Goodwill CEO Charles Layman and TNCC President John T. Dever signed a “declaration of shared purpose” at the Thomas Nelson Center for Building and Construction Trades at the Goodwill Retail Operations Center in Hampton. The center is home to the “Wired for Success” electrical training program for TNCC students, nine of whom started its inaugural semester on Monday.
“This partnership started as a vision of how we could better serve the Hampton Roads community. The Wired for Success program is a real opportunity for people to see the promise of getting into the workforce and moving up the career ladder,” Layman said.
Students in the program can become work-ready electricians with national industry credentials and certifications from the National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). A portion of their tuition is paid for by TNCC and the Peninsula Council for Workforce Development. Local employers supporting the program include W.M. Jordan, Barton Malow, Warwick Heating & Plumbing, Bay Electric and Hampton Public Schools maintenance.
“The mission of Goodwill and TNCC align so strongly with each other,” said Dever. “Many jobs are going unfilled because they aren’t enough training programs. We know how to teach students, and we needed more space to do so. Goodwill offered a portion of their Hampton campus, along with their expertise and ability to match job seekers with employers,” Dever said.
Once students complete the training program, they receive paid work experience with an employer that can lead to the option of becoming a permanent hire. They can also use job readiness and employment services at Goodwill’s Hampton Community Employment Center at no cost. Those include:
•Resume and interview preparation
•Adult career planning
•Soft skills workshops (professionalism, problem solving, teamwork, etc.)
•Financial education classes
“Hampton Roads’ workforce has a large blue-collar job history, and the need for skilled tradesmen and women is still here today. These students are the children and grandchildren of a labor force that values knowledge and hard work,” said Dr. Deborah Wright, Vice President of Workforce Development at TNCC. “Our strategic alliance with Goodwill shows how organizations can come together and leverage their power for the community,” she said.
Qualified program graduates can earn up to $16 an hour with a median annual salary up to $52,000. The program also provides a new $200 toolkit on their first day of permanent employment.
For more information on Goodwill’s commitment to job seekers in our community, click here.
