Community-focused job preparation and support services

Community Access Points

We recognize that transportation can be a major barrier to finding a job. Through our community access points, we meet you where you are. We come to places like libraries, shelters and community centers to offer many of the same services that can be found at our Workforce Connection Centers, such as guidance on writing a resume and preparing for an interview. 

Job training programs that connect local employers and job seekers

Goodwill Greater Milwaukee & Chicago serves 23 counties in Wisconsin and Illinois. But we don’t use a one-size-fits-all approach to job training. Instead, we design programs based on the jobs available in each local area. This way, people are trained for real opportunities near where they live.

In greater Chicago, we offer job readiness preparation for teens and young adults through our Empower Youth program. We’ve also partnered with ComEd to provide Empower Youth training to members of their CONSTRUCT Youth Academy. This helps teens and young adults learn in-demand careers and gain the soft skills needed to be ready to start and sustain what might be their first jobs. 

In Aurora, Illinois, we help residents interested in clean energy jobs connect to programs and training offered through the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. 

Through a program partially funded by the Steans Family Foundation, we established an opportunity for residents of the North Lawndale, Illinois neighborhood to connect to entry and mid-level career opportunities. 

In greater Milwaukee, we’ve partnered with BMO to offer training to those aspiring to enter the banking industry. We’ve also partnered with multiple health care systems to address the nursing shortage through unique job training and placement programs.