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Helping Hispanics Find Jobs Requires Customized Approach

Three-Year Goodwill Project Shows Most Not Getting Needed Services

April 16, 2007

Rockville, MD - Two out of three community-based Goodwill agencies are helping Hispanics find jobs, but a majority say a large percent of the population is not getting the career development services it needs.  A three-year Goodwill research project, funded by a grant from The Goizueta Foundation, is expanding the understanding of Hispanic populations and the career development services they need to find jobs and move up the career ladder.
   
Goodwill agencies across the country – including many in cities far from the border states that are commonly known for high Hispanic populations  – are adapting to meet the needs of an increasingly large group of Latinos who want help finding jobs.  While Goodwill is at the forefront of helping this population, the study reveals that challenges remain, such as finding qualified bilingual and bicultural staff, developing credibility in the community and identifying funding sources.

“The most successful programs use a multi-faceted, customized approach, that includes using English As a Second Language and basic skills training to help Hispanics find jobs,” says George W. Kessinger, President and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “Our goal is to help people land good jobs so that they can support themselves and their families.” 

A summary of the new report, Helping Hispanics Find Jobs, at www.goodwill.org, states that building effective programs requires five best practices:

1.    Employ staff that is bilingual and, if possible, bicultural.
 
2.    Develop partnerships to create credibility in the Hispanic community.

3.    Provide bilingual signage, web resources, and other materials.

4.    Offer job-readiness and placement assistance in Spanish.

5.    Provide access to English courses, including specific vocational language instruction.

Using these effective practices as a base, Goodwill agencies nationwide are finding ways to adapt and customize career services.  Nearly half of the most successful programs are locating career development centers in or near neighborhoods with high percentages of Hispanic residents.  Similarly, almost half are engaged in targeted employer outreach for Hispanics.

Read the executive summary report in English (PDF).

Read the executive summary report in Spanish (PDF).