Purpose

To provide retail training to people with disabilities and other special needs through a combination of instruction, hands-on practice, performance evaluation and a community work experience.

Clients Served

  • Emotionally disabled Physically disabled
  • Developmentally disabled Severely disabled
  • Those with multiple disabilities Older Adults
  • Unemployed, underemployed, inappropriately employed Youth/Dropouts
  • Veterans Re-entry

Admission Criteria

The individual referred must meet all facility admission criteria and a minimum of sixth grade reading and math levels (exceptions are made on a case by case basis).

In addition, the following personal characteristics are required:

Strong motivation to work in the retail industry and willingness to accept the goals of the program, the ability to work under stressful conditions and indicators of stability, enthusiasm and cooperation. These requirements will ensure that trainees enrolled in the program have the necessary aptitudes and personal characteristics to succeed in the retail occupation.

Program Procedures

At the time of referral, each person will be given an interview by the program instructor at Goodwill Industries, at which time the individual’s program objective and appropriateness of the referral are determined.

Retail-specific training modules include store operations, cash money inventory control, customer service and professionalism.

Each person participating will also receive job seeking skills training which will include completion of applications, interviewing techniques, resume writing and proper job source methods.

Training will run from Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. or individualized as needed.

The program consists of five weeks of classroom training and five weeks of internship at a community site. The referral source will receive monthly reports outlining each participant’s performance.

Case conferencing is requested at least once each five-week period.

Expected Client Outcomes

Client will be ready for employment in the retail area, at the clerk/cashier level or at the management level. This will be dependent upon their training capabilities and employment potential.

How can you access this service?

For more information, call Ashtabula Goodwill, Inc. Serving NE Ohio & NW Pennsylvania at (440) 954-3565.

Discharge Criteria

  1. Client will demonstrate good customer relations
  2. Client will demonstrate knowledge of retail procedures
  3. Client will demonstrate good worker traits