ROCKVILLE, MD — Goodwill, the leading nonprofit provider of job training and placement services in North America, today announced five new partners — Accenture, Bank of America, Comcast Internet Essentials, Lowe’s and USAA — are joining its Rising Together™ initiative, expanding its reach and impact. While the U.S. economy continues to improve, the recovery has not been equitable. Rising Together™ is connecting people, particularly those who traditionally faced barriers to sustainable, well-paying jobs, to ensure they have access to a wide range of resources. These resources include skills training, job placement, transportation and internet access.
Launched in May 2021, this growing collective of committed Industry leaders, including global leaders, philanthropic leaders and Fortune 50 companies, are working to empower more than one million individuals with sustainable careers by 2025. The new partners join the Anthem Foundation, Coursera, Google, Indeed and Lyft in their work with Goodwill to advance equitable opportunities for all people by providing individuals with the skills and critical services needed to access sustainable jobs — stable, well-paying careers with potential for growth.
“As our labor market continues to evolve, opportunities are being created for people to move into higher-paying, more promising career tracks. With employers eager to hire, we are working with people to help them get the skills they need to succeed,” said Steven C. Preston, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “We’re proud to announce our new partners who have joined us in Rising Together™. They are helping to provide skills training and other holistic support to people looking to invest in better futures for themselves and their families.”
Rising Together™ has already helped people in 33 states and Canada access job training and placement programs, transportation services, and more that provide the skills and other services people need to both enter and stay in the workforce. The initiative is now expanding its engagement to include 93 communities across the U.S. and Canada.
With the addition of the new partners, Rising Together™ is growing to include more local Goodwill communities and will provide more opportunity to gain digital skills training, healthcare career development, virtual reality interview practices and more.
Amid the challenging pandemic recovery, millions of Americans have been resetting their lives and significantly shifting their careers – but many still believe there is no place for them in the labor market or on the career ladder. Goodwill° is working to provide access, training and support to overlooked talent in today’s high-skills, digital workforce.
Rising Together™ is empowering more than one million people with well-paying careers.
Goodwill and Rising Together™ are on a mission to increase access to dynamic workforce development and career advancement opportunities for diverse talent.
Rising Together™ is helping talented individuals like Kara Isreal Gooch succeed in today’s job market through the Goodwill IT Support Professional Certification Program. Kara, a Goodwill Graduate, was able to develop the necessary job and digital skills and land her dream job with Accenture as a Business and Integration Arch Analyst .
@GoodwillIntl is proud to welcome 5 new partners into our #RisingTogether initiative: @Accenture, @BankofAmerica, @Comcast, @Lowes & @USAA. Learn more at https://goodwill.org/rising-together Tweet
Rising Together™ partners are using their combined resources to support the holistic needs of all job seekers. Together with Goodwill:
Building on work launched last spring:
“Accenture and Goodwill share a longtime commitment to creating life-changing and more inclusive opportunities for people,” said Jimmy Etheredge, Accenture’s CEO of North America. “We’re grateful to continue our collaboration and look forward to helping even more people acquire skills, gain access to good jobs and build sustainable careers — elevating themselves and their communities.”
“Cross-sector partnerships are critical to prepare individuals with the necessary skills and resources required to advance their careers and create economic mobility,” said Andrew Plepler, global head of Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) at Bank of America. “. “Alongside Goodwill and other partners, we’re collaborating to create a more diverse and equal workforce.”
“Stable, reliable internet access is a life-changing pathway for individuals to develop the skills needed to secure consistent and well-paying careers that will grant opportunity for economic mobility and sustainability,” said Broderick Johnson, executive vice president, public policy and executive vice president, digital equity, at Comcast Corporation. “Everyone deserves the right to thrive economically, and access to internet connectivity and devices is absolutely critical in bridging the digital and skills gap.”
“As a large employer focused on economic recovery, we know that the increasing use of technology and automation across industries like manufacturing and construction will spark both great advances and a widening skills gap within the labor force. Bridging this gap is key to our ongoing partnership with Goodwill,” said Marvin Ellison, chairman and CEO of Lowe’s. “Our collaboration with Rising Together™ will address this gap by providing more skills-building opportunities for workers, which will empower and equip them to make meaningful contributions to their companies and communities for years to come.”
“Veterans bring deep expertise and discipline to the corporate world, yet many struggle to find a job after they leave the military – a challenge that has been compounded through the pandemic,” said Wayne Peacock, CEO of USAA. “Through the Rising Together™ initiative, we will be able to support and empower Goodwill organizations through the Opportunity Accelerator program to provide more veterans and military spouses access to meaningful career training programs and employment prospects.”
Goodwill is embedded in every community across North America and provides both in-person and virtual career resources, including job training, mentoring, certifications and credentials, career fairs, classes and job placement, as well as access to other assistance, such as child care and transportation. The Goodwill brand has a 120-year history whose services are utilized every day and especially in times of economic crises, recessions and moments of social distress.
To learn more about Rising Together™ partners and commitments enabling an equitable economic recovery and to hear from executives of the initiative, visit Goodwill.org/Rising-Together.
ABOUT GOODWILL INDUSTRIES INTERNATIONAL
Goodwill Industries International is a network of 155 community-based, autonomous organizations in the United States and Canada with a presence in 12 other countries. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps people find employment, Goodwill is recognized with GuideStar’s highest rating, the Platinum Seal of Approval.
Local Goodwill organizations offer employment opportunities, job placement and training services, and other community-based programs, funded in part by selling donated clothing and household items in nearly 3,300 stores and at ShopGoodwill.com®.
For more information or to find a Goodwill location near you, visit goodwill.org. Follow us on Twitter: @GoodwillIntl and @GoodwillCapHill, and find us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube: GoodwillIntl. Register for our Legislative Action Center via advocate.goodwill.org.
[1] USDOL, Black Women’s Economic Recovery Continues to Lag Women are still losing the economic recovery, February 9, 2022
[2] Urban Institute, “Overlooked and Underconnected: Exploring Disparities in Digital Skill Levels by Race among Older Youth in the US,” January 2021
[3] Center for American Progress, COVID-19 Likely Resulted in 1.2 Million More Disabled People by the End of 2021—Workplaces and Policy Will Need to Adapt“, February 9, 2022
[4] SHRM, Inflation Rate Hits 7% Year-over-Year, Driving 'Real' Wages Down January 13, 2022