Goodwill of North Georgia, located in Decatur, was the recent recipient of a $300,000 grant from the Coca-Cola Foundation that will be used to provide workforce training programs for women to “enter nontraditional occupations,” according to officials.
According to officials with Goodwill and the Coca-Cola Foundation, nontraditional occupations are defined as those with fewer than 20 percent of women in the field, such as construction trades, maintenance technicians, logistics, and information technology (I.T.).
Funding from the Coca-Cola Foundation will ensure that these programs will continue to be offered at zero cost to jobseekers, said officials.
“Goodwill of North Georgia has reported an 84 percent surge in enrollment for women in nontraditional occupations since 2020,” said Donovan Jackson, Goodwill communications manager. “The organization anticipates a 10 percent year-over-year increase in women pursuing nontraditional careers for the next five years.”
Jackson also pointed out that according to a report published by census.gov, the last few years have disproportionally affected women in industries such as hospitality, food service, and childcare. “Furthermore, less affected industries were construction, manufacturing, transportation, and warehousing,” said Jackson.
To help women navigate new work cultures, Goodwill of North Georgia’s career services case managers provide additional specific support to ensure graduates are ready to start work on an even playing field with their male counterparts, said officials. “Further support includes physical conditioning training to increase stamina for labor-intensive occupations, training on culture, professional advocacy appropriate in the workplace, and an overview of sexual harassment and anti-discrimination laws and employee rights,” stated officials.
“This program plays an important role in Goodwill’s mission – to put people to work,” said Keith Parker, president and CEO of…
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