When people hear the name Goodwill, most people think of the Goodwill retail stores, or they think of it as a place to drop off their donations. Time and again, people have shown up at the Goodwill facility on Belmont Avenue for a tour, and following the tour, the first thing they say is, “I had no idea you did all of this here.”

One of those things that go on “behind the scenes” at Goodwill is the Work Adjustment program. Work Adjustment is a training program that assists individuals in developing or reestablishing skills, attitudes, work behaviors and stamina to achieve positive employment outcomes. This training consists of working in different departments in Goodwill’s plant, monitoring production speed, quality of work and individual work behaviors.

Following in-house Work Adjustment, Community Work Adjustment is often utilized to help the person adapt to an integrated work environment. The purpose of these programs is to prepare the individual to gain employment in the community.

Individuals who enter Goodwill’s Work Adjustment program are sent to Goodwill from outside referral agencies. The length of time a participant spends in the program depends on individual needs. It could be anywhere from 20 to 50 days.

While in the program, participants are enrolled in two courses at Goodwill, World of Work and Job Search Techniques. The World of Work class addresses issues such as what employers will expect of their employees, and what’s appropriate in the work place and what is not. Job Search Techniques focuses on helping the individual find a job. In this class, individuals learn how to develop a resume, fill out applications, search for jobs and practice interviewing, among other things. Many other daily living skills classes are offered.

During their time in the program, participants are monitored by their program manager. The program manager looks at traits such as attendance, accuracy and speed of work, if the person can work independently, how they accept supervision, interaction with coworkers and quality of work, to determine if the individual can be competitive. The program participant, their supervisor and rehab staff members meet at team staffing to discuss the individual’s progress in the program.

Some of the most common areas that individuals at Goodwill are trained in are clerical, janitorial, retail, food service and laundry. Graduates of the program have gone on to work in restaurants, hotels, day care facilities, hospitals and clerical settings.

Last year, the Work Adjustment program provided services to 133 individuals, with 39 individuals participating in Community Work Adjustment.