Goodwill

Goodwill’s mission is to provide employment services, training and jobs to people with disabilities and other barriers to employment. Through the power of work, the men and women who are employed by Goodwill have a unique opportunity to break down barriers, learn new skills, and build lifelong connections.

Common Barriers To Employment

• Disability (physical, cognitive, mental health)
• Age
• Criminal record
• Drug or alcohol abuse
• Housing issues or homelessness
• Lack of work history or education

Work Adjustment Training

These services assist people in developing or reestablishing attitudes, interpersonal skills, work behaviors and functional capacities that will help them more toward, or achieve employment.

Work is used as the basis for these training services, which can be provided at a community-based or Goodwill job site. This training is supplemented by counseling/support services that are coordinated by Goodwill staff.

A training plan is written as a guide for the individual and Goodwill staff. This plan is updated monthly with the worker and provided to the sponsoring agent and to their support team members.

Services provided as needed address barriers to the person’s employment goals, including but limited to:

• Attendance/punctuality
• Grooming/hygiene/attire
• Job-seeking skills
• On-the-job performance skills
• Work-related skills such as time management and mobility
• Work-related communications skills
• Work-related interpersonal skills

Goodwill staff will coordinate any additional community services needed by the individual to overcome his/her barriers to employment.

Extended Employment – At Goodwill or in The Community

Extended Employment is designed to provide paid work to program participants, with the goal of developing vocational skills while working.

Training activities address important vocational issues, including but not limited to:

• Orientation to the work environment
• Orientation to work duties
• Job performance and progress
• Work-site job modification, as needed
• Problem solving
• Transportation
• Safety in the workplace

A support plan is written with each individual. Progress is monitored by Goodwill staff at regular intervals with the worker and his/her support team, which can include parents, county representatives, residential providers or others chosen by the worker.

Extended Employment can be provided as Goodwill-based employment, community-based employment or a combination of both.

Working at Goodwill

Goodwill-based employment provides work for individuals in a variety of work areas at our Duluth facility. Opportunities include: packaging, light assembly, donated goods processing, janitorial services, retail stocking and clerking, materials handling and recycling.

Working in the community

Through our Community Employment Services, individuals work with local employers and we provide support. That way a worker can better retain work skills and learn new skills, strengthening the likelihood of continued employment in the community. Community employment includes:

• Individual site placement: A person is placed in a community business performing a job, i.e., janitorial services, food service, kitchen assistant, library aide or sales associate.
• Crew work: Small crews (2 to 4 people) work in a local business performing work under the supervision of Goodwill staff. Crew work usually includes janitorial, lawn-care and clerical work, i.e., envelope stuffing, collating or assembly.
• Industrial group-work sites: Work is performed on the premises of a community business. The size of the workgroup varies. This setting allows the employer to observe workers and assess their ability for possible future employment, as well as allowing workers the opportunity to try jobs of various skill levels.

Vocational Services

• Center-based employment: The Goodwill Center-Based Employment program provides paid work at our main facility, and offers various jobs including donation processing, janitorial services, stocking, retail sales, office work, and shipping. Goodwill’s staff works with individuals in identifying a job within the facility that is well matched to their skills and interests.
• Supported employment: The Goodwill Supported Employment program provides competitive employment in an integrated setting with local community employers. Workers who are hired for community jobs continue to receive training and support from Goodwill Vocational Services team members, and are paid by the hiring company.
• Community employment: The Community Employment program provides paid work in the community to individuals that need ongoing support to maintain their employment. These jobs are often on crews and may include janitorial, lawn-work, and snow removal.

Choremasters of Goodwill Duluth

Goodwill’s Choremasters crews provide commercial janitorial services to a range of businesses in Duluth—from small business owners to banks to major government facilities. Seasonally, Choremasters crews provide lawn-care services to residential customers and commercial accounts of variable sizes.

Each work crew is headed up by an experienced supervisor with a goal of quality work and total customer satisfaction. Crews are fully insured and supply their own equipment.

General Cleaning

• Emptying trash cans
• Damp wipe trash cans
• Remove trash from building 
• Sanitize drinking fountains
• Dust/vacuum blinds
• Dust walls
• Clean refrigerators/freezers
• Clean microwaves
• Sweeping
• Dust mopping
• Damp mopping
• Carpet vacuuming 
• Clean light fixtures
• Vacuum ceiling vents                     

Dusting

• Low dusting- chair legs, base boards
• Horizontal dusting- spot cleaning using microfiber cloth- desk tops, computers etc.
• Detail dusting- overheads, behind computers, behind doors

Restroom Cleaning 

• Clean toilet- top/bottom
• Clean sink
• Clean urinal- top/bottom
• Clean/disinfect shower stall
• Restroom partitions (wipe down)
• Clean fixtures, mirrors, counter tops, fill supplies

Washing & Cleaning

• Spot cleaning – vinyl  walls
• Spray, squeegee , and spot clean glass doors
• Elevator cleaning- wipe walls, panels, doors

Carpet/Floor Care

• Pre-spray, dry clean, and shampoo
• Hot water extraction
• Machine scrubbing /stripping
• Apply floor finish/sealer

Lawn Care

• Mowing/ weed control 
• Spring clean ups

If you are a local business or government agency interested in these services, please contact Goodwill to learn more.