Department of Labor Awards Goodwill $7.3 Million for Green Jobs

February 3, 2010 – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis has announced that Goodwill Industries International will receive a $7.3 million grant as part of “Pathways Out of Poverty,” a funding opportunity authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). The grant will provide funds to create green job training programs as a strategy to move individuals out of poverty and into economic self-sufficiency. The funding is part of a $150 million grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor to 38 entities. “Goodwill has a history of providing job training and placement services to people with disadvantages and disabilities,” said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill. “The funding from the U.S. Department of Labor will enable us to provide pre-employment training, occupational skills training and intensive individual assessment for our job seekers so that they can obtain and retain well-paying jobs in the rapidly growing green industry of their choice.” Goodwill Industries International will divide the funds among six Goodwill agencies that have established partnerships with local business, labor organizations, workforce development institutions, unions, faith- and community-based organizations, and colleges and trade schools to help Goodwill's green job seekers advance.