Goodwill Industries and Northwest Louisiana Technical College announce the opening of a Job Center in Building E on the Northwest Louisiana Technical College campus, located at 2010 N. Market St., Shreveport. This new partnership will provide a convenient one-stop service center for Caddo Parish residents who need assistance completing job applications and resumes, advice on interview preparation and job placement information. Initially, the center will be open each Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Additional days and hours of operation will be added as demand for services increases. This program is funded in part by the Community Foundation of North Louisiana and the United Way of Northwest Louisiana Grant Fund of the Community Foundation and Goodwill Industries of North Louisiana.

Both of the organizations are extremely excited about this partnership. Goodwill’s Placement Manager, Chris Fournier, said, “We believe that our combined commitment to the development of our workforce partners and communities will help thousands of individuals struggling to find meaningful employment. Our partnership will provide a strong combination of NWLTC skills training in high-wage, high-demand career areas and the Goodwill job placement program’s assistance to community members striving to obtain services and gainful employment.”

The return on investment to the state of Louisiana cannot be understated.

We are putting highly skilled individuals to work in jobs which provide sustainable wages for the workers and their families.”

– Northwest LTC Interim Director Dianne Clark

The ultimate goal of the partnership between Northwest LTC and Goodwill is to provide residents of Caddo parish with expanded opportunities. Employment serves to break the cycle of reliance on government benefits by providing income stability to individuals and families. NWLTC offers high-demand industry-based credentials, certificates of technical studies, technical diplomas and associate degree exit levels. Northwest LTC Interim Director Dianne Clark agrees the partnership has tremendous value because the tax dollars, which result from employment, will go into the state budget. “The return on investment to the state of Louisiana cannot be understated. We are putting highly skilled individuals to work in jobs which provide sustainable wages for the workers and their families. The budget deficit is forcing all of us to find more productive ways to work together.

This partnership is a perfect example of how resources can be combined to increase and improve services for the unemployed while increasing revenue for Louisiana.”

The Goodwill job placement program provides job search information and employer connections which, when combined with the skills training provided by Northwest Louisiana Technical College, will provide a valuable resource to Caddo Parish.

For more information, contact David Awalt at 286-8190.