By Ramona Schindelheim for WorkingNation.
Broadcast version by Danielle Smith for Keystone State News Connection reporting for the WorkingNation-Public News Service Collaboration

It is probably safe to say that when most people think of Goodwill®, they think of the more than 3,300 donation centers and thrift stores spread across the U.S. and Canada. But, the nonprofit is so much more.

In fact, Goodwill may be the best-kept workforce development secret in America, with more than 350,000 people finding a job through Goodwill's career counseling, résumé prep services, and skills training.

"Our entire history is about a mission of helping people flourish in life, helping them thrive. The 'why' for us is helping people reach their potential, often through learning and the power of work," explains Steven C. Preston, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International.

And thanks to a partnership with some of the biggest names in tech, more than 1.5 million people have upgraded their digital and tech skills through the Goodwill Digital Career Accelerator^® (GDCA), a training program designed in partnership with Google and made possible by funding from Google.org.

To date, Google.org has supported the training program with over $29 million in cash and ad grants and 1,000 Googler volunteers who have taught classes for people employed and served by Goodwill, have helped conduct research, and co-developed resources and tools, explains Google.

Google.org Fellows - Google employees who specialize in marketing, user experience design, program management and more - also worked with the Goodwill team on a pro bono basis for six months to help research and redesign www.goodwill.org to work better for job seekers and career advancers.

Partnering to Advance Tech Careers

More than 80% of the people who come to Goodwill for work-related services have a high school diploma or less and range in age from their teens to in their 80s. Most have low-to-moderate income, and some have no income at all.

The Goodwill Digital Career Accelerator prepares job seekers and career advancers for for entry- and mid-level occupations. No degree and no experience required. Some of the learners need to learn keyboarding, English, and math before they can benefit from digital skills training and earn career certificates.

The program meets learners where they are at, offering many levels of hands-on training, from basic digital awareness and navigation through training for Google Career Certificates. Those employer-vetted certificates equip people with job-ready skills for in-demand entry-level careers in fields like data analytics, IT, and, most-recently, cybersecurity.

Interested? Here is What You Need to Know About the Goodwill Digital Career Accelerator

We asked Goodwill and Google to answer these essential questions about the Goodwill Digital Career Accelerator program, which is hosted on the Coursera platform.

What does it cost?

"Thanks to scholarships and funding from Google.org and other partners, digital skills training is available at no cost to learners at most Goodwills."

How much time does it take?

"The time a digital skills training course takes depends of what is being learned. To learn to set up and use email - an essential skill for a job search - may take only an hour or two. Learning to use Google suite may take a few hours over the course of a week. Earning a Google Career Certificate may take three to six months (though some highly motivated and disciplined learners have completed them in a few weeks)."

Is the program in-person or online?

"Many of the people who use Goodwill to build their digital skills begin their learning in-person until they are comfortable enough to learn at their own pace on their own time. The strongest models for training involve a blended approach where Goodwill organizations convene training groups in-person and integrate online learning. Providing additional supports beyond the training setting, such as regular career navigation check-in meetings, helps learners stay on track with training progress."

Once completing the program, do you get an employer-vetted certificate?

"Some learners earn Google Career Certificates through Goodwill. The Google Career Certificates are an industry-recognized credential valued by a wide array of employers. Built by experts at Google and vetted by employers in the program's Employer Consortium, the certificates teach skills employers are looking for. The employer consortium includes over 150 companies including Accenture, Walmart, Verizon, and Google that are looking to hire workers in the certificate fields."

The Power to Change Lives

"It's so important for us to realize that digital skills have become the price of entry for many jobs in our country. Digitization has so infused our workforce that the need for those skills is ubiquitous," says Goodwill CEO Preston.

"Google believes the opportunities created by technology should truly be available to everyone, regardless of their zip code, education level, or background. We're proud to continue our support for Goodwill, advancing our shared commitment to help all Americans access digital skills training in their local communities," says Hector Mujica, head of Economic Opportunity for the Americas for Google.org.

He tells us, "To date, we've helped over 357,000 people connect with new jobs and increase their economic opportunities by offering programs including the Google Career Certificates. Through our collaboration, we're excited to help more people improve their lives and livelihoods for years to come."

Preston sums the partnership up this way. "I believe strongly in the power of human potential. Helping people tap into that potential is not only transformative to them, but it's transformative to our communities. It's transformative to our culture."


Ramona Schindelheim wrote this article for WorkingNation.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


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A collaboration between the federal government and local communities works to create new career opportunities.

The Flint Environmental Career Worker Apprentice Readiness Training Program is funded by the Biden Administration's Justice40 initiative.

Tony Johnson, a Black single father from Michigan, credits the program with altering his family's future. He started his carpentry apprenticeship in April 2024 and is now on track for a union job in Flint. Johnson said this is the only program he has ever been part of which has created a career opportunity.

"Imagine going to college and after finishing your program, the instructor line you up with jobs and they keep in contact with you," Johnson explained. "They gave us connections and comfort and stability knowing that we're not in this alone."

Johnson stumbled upon the program by chance and thinks it needs promotion in more Michigan communities. It partners with community colleges, historically Black colleges and universities and apprenticeship programs, training more than 13,500 people. It claims a 70% job placement rate.

Johnson noted as a single parent, trying to work in retail or other jobs would not have been as beneficial for his family's future.

"It's hard living on a single income nowadays with a one-parent household," Johnson acknowledged. "Right now I got the funds, the ability to be able to not just provide but to save for their future instead of living check to check."

Johnson added the apprenticeship program is not only stabilizing but creates a pathway to long-term security and the opportunity to retire one day. He sees it as a valuable lesson and encouraged a positive mindset in his children, emphasizing what they can achieve. The opportunity affects his family both mentally and physically, shaping their outlook on opportunities and possibilities.


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The nation's billionaires have doubled their wealth over the past seven years, while working people in West Virginia and elsewhere continue to face economic struggles.

The collective fortune of America's more than eight hundred billionaires hit a record $5.8 trillion in April, according to a new report by Americans for Tax Fairness.

Gary Zuckett, executive director of the Citizen Action Education Fund, said the Mountain State is just beginning to see the ramifications of a deep income tax cut that was passed last year by state lawmakers.

He said the lack of funding has made it difficult to address steadily worsening problems.

"Like the child-care crisis in West Virginia, the corrections crisis - our prisons have been in the state of emergency for the last three or four years," said Zuckett. "There's a lot of things that we need to be using our tax money for, besides giving it to the rich in income tax cuts."

America's billionaires now own more than 50% more wealth than does the entire bottom half of the nation's households.

Under the current tax code, however, the staggering wealth gains made by the richest are unlikely to ever be taxed.

Trump-era tax benefits for the wealthy enacted in 2017 are set to expire at the end of 2025.

Zuckett explains that the laws cut the top income-tax rate from more than 39% to 37%, and cut the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%.

"The mom and pop grocery stores and the people working in Walmart, everyday working people," said Zuckett, "pay taxes on every dollar that they earn, but the system is rigged to benefit people at the top."

According to the report, if the wealthiest Americans were taxed at the rate of average Americans, the nation would have new potential tax revenue of roughly $120 billion each year, which could help pay for more affordable and accessible health care.





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Michigan legislators are tackling predatory lending practices, aiming to set standards for payday loans and maximum interest rates.

In Kent County alone, with a payday loan volume of $60 million, the House Insurance and Financial Services Committee discussed Senate Bill 632, sponsored by Sen. Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, which seeks to cap annual interest rates at 36% compared to current rates reaching nearly 400%.

The bill has passed the Senate and is part of a legislative effort including House Bill 5290, sponsored by Rep. Abraham Aiyash, D-Hamtramck.

Dallas Lenear, founder and executive director of Project GREEN, a grassroots economic empowerment network, highlighted concerns about the exploitative nature of these loans.

"Payday loans inevitably are designed in a fashion that is unaffordable for the majority of people who use those loans," Lenear contended.

Lenear pointed out many other states have already capped their interest rate or totally outlawed payday loans because of the financial damage they can cause their citizens and argued it is time for Michigan to do better.

Lenear noted while the payday loan industry believes it offers hope to borrowers in times of need, a study by project GREEN found 78% of respondents said payday loans either prolonged or worsened their financial situation.

"If they've had any experience with it, they'll start to shake their head and they'll say those things are terrible and I was caught in the trap and I would never use those things again. I'd use it out of desperation," Lenear reported.

Advocacy groups such as the Michigan League for Public Policy and the Michigan Catholic Conference testified in support of the bills, to end the predatory practices.