Goodwill Celebrates Congress for Passing Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act

July 10, 2014, ROCKVILLE, MD — Goodwill Industries International, Inc. applauds the Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The long over-due bill modernizes and improves existing federal workforce development programs, helping put Americans back to work by revamping the nation’s outdated workforce development system and strengthening the economy.

“We congratulate the Senate and the House for passing this bill, which provides workers and taxpayers the job training solutions they need and deserve in order to prepare for jobs that are currently going unfilled,” said Jim Gibbons, Goodwill Industries International president and CEO. “It is time to send this bill to the President’s desk for signature and help millions of Americans find and keep good jobs.”

Goodwill enhances the quality of life of individuals and families by helping people reach their full potential through education, skills training and the power of work. Local Goodwill agencies meet the needs of all job seekers through a variety of workforce development offerings, including programs for youth, seniors and veterans; as well as people with disabilities, criminal backgrounds and other specialized needs. Last year, Goodwill helped more than 9.8 million people train for careers in industries such as banking, IT and health care, and provided the supportive services they needed to be successful, including English-language training, additional education, and access to transportation and child care.

“At Goodwill we are encouraged by the fact that the law will ensure that youth with disabilities are put on a pathway of services and training environments that provide choice–whether that’s ongoing skills training or a continuum of community based services,” said Gibbons. “What matters most, for all people, is that there is the opportunity for choice.”

Goodwill works hard to ensure that all people have opportunities for choice, to earn a paycheck, to reach potential and to experience improved quality of life. The WIOA aligns with these aspirations and allows Goodwill to provide services that are customized for individuals and their families. It delivers these services while recognizing that the individual is the leader of his or her service plan, and it leverages additional community resources as appropriate.

Like Goodwill, the WIOA provides access to training, education and work opportunity services that all of America’s workers need to compete in today’s global economy. Overall, the act maintains the nation’s core job training programs, increases accountability metrics, reduces bureaucracy, improves programs for people with disabilities, and strengthens ties between the state’s regional workforce development councils and employers.

About Goodwill Industries International

Goodwill Industries International is a network of 165 community-based agencies in the United States and Canada with a presence in 14 other countries. Goodwill agencies are innovative and sustainable social enterprises that fund job training programs, employment placement services and other community-based programs by selling donated clothing and household items in 3,000 stores and online at shopgoodwill.com^®. Goodwill also builds revenue and creates jobs by contracting with businesses and government agencies to provide a wide range of commercial services, including packaging and assembly, food service preparation, and document imaging and shredding. In 2013, more than 9.8 million people in the United States and Canada benefited from Goodwill’s career services. Goodwill channels 83 percent of its revenues directly into its programs and services.

Link to GII’s Website.