Goodwill Industries of San Diego County

In 2020, Goodwill San Diego assisted more than 7,100 community members with their job search through our Community Employment Centers in person and online. The organization's goal is to assist as many job seekers as possible each year and help them find quality employment with job training if needed, and opportunities for growth and success.

Goodwill of San Diego focuses on a community impact model where partnerships are key in providing needed wrap-around services to help overcome barriers. We realize these partners will be vital to move the needle and make a serious change in our community.
Our mission program staff are active in the community, joining committees, and working with organizations that can impact the lives of those we serve. Leadership seeks out Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) to highlight each organization's role and to plan how we can best work together, leveraging the services offered by both organizations. Our employment services department has numerous MOU’s currently in place to impact the lives of our participants and their families with programs and services.
We will promote the program on our website, over social media channels, through public relations, through our email marketing program that communicates with ten thousand community members each month, non-paid advertising such as public service announcements, and public speaking opportunities. Our objective will be to highlight the program's characteristics and successful case studies. Staff will attend community events including job fairs to create awareness about the program.
Goodwill San Diego is confident these partnerships and marketing efforts will enhance mission goals and the quality of services provided to participants. The work from our collaboration encompasses the City and County of San Diego. We are confident we can continue to effectively serve job seekers throughout the region with respect and compassion.

Job matching and job referrals can be the key to finding successful paid employment leading to self-sufficiency. Customized Employment Services staff review job openings daily and match participants with those job openings. A Job Analysis is completed for each employment choice identified by the participant. After an application or resume is submitted to an employer, Goodwill staff may follow-up on behalf of the job seeker, soliciting feedback from that employer to see any future steps. The job developer or case manager may also advocate that the hiring manager or human resources department provide extra assistance to the job seeker.

Goodwill. We leverage our partners at adult schools, community colleges, and ed2go to develop resources for job shadowing. Again, being person-centered and developing based on a particular interest.
In 2021, we plan to collaborate with Community Colleges and Adult Schools to expand our Paid Training program to serve students in their classes. The training plan can be customized to provide work experience related to their learning objectives. For instance, we are starting to explore with San Diego Mesa College’s Fashion instructors' ways for students to gain work experience in merchandising and best business practices in our retail stores.
Goodwill San Diego employs over 1,000 people in San Diego County and our organization is very diverse, supporting 51% of the workforce with a disability. We currently run three work experience programs including Supported Employment Group services, DOR student work experience, and our Paid Training Program. Participants have many avenues for receiving work experience both inside and outside of Goodwill. We will engage with our partners for potential training and work experience in the community. We have previously partnered with Dave & Busters, The Union-Tribune, and Tin Leaf Restaurant for work experience opportunities. Program staff will continue to be active in the community developing resources that may be impactful for the participants.