News Release
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Technology Helps Low-Wage Workers Keep Jobs
Three-year Goodwill Study Yields Significant Results |
| April 26, 2005 |
Rockville, MD —
Providing low-wage workers with access to computers at home
significantly increases worker retention rates and helps lead to higher
wages for those workers, according to the findings of a three-year
project conducted by Goodwill Industries under a grant from the U.S.
Department of Commerce.
The Goodwill Technology Opportunity
Program (TOP) aimed to build on the job placement services that
Goodwill has been providing for more than 100 years, by evaluating a
method for keeping workers in their jobs for longer periods of time and
helping them advance to higher paying jobs. The program's 124
participants received personal computers in order to increase
interaction with Goodwill career counselors and enhance their skills
training. Participants with busy schedules and family commitments could
go online for training or send e-mail to their counselors at any time
of the day. Ninety-three percent remained employed six to 12 months
following job placement, and program participants were 1.5 times more
likely than the general Goodwill population to remain employed at least
six months. In addition, average wages climbed steadily over the course
of the program, most likely a result of escalating job responsibilities
or advancement to a higher position. Total earnings for participants
were higher and grew faster than for Goodwill clients not participating
in the TOP program.
“Goodwill is all about helping others help
themselves, and we are now even better equipped than before to make
good on this vital mission,” says George W. Kessinger, President and
CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “In addition to helping our
clients find jobs, this technology-based support program pinpoints a
way for workers to keep those jobs and, in many cases, to flourish in
them as well. The results of the project went well beyond our
expectations.”
One of the remarkable findings of the study was
that simply by having a computer in the home, workers' self-confidence
increased, which then boosted their job performance. In other words,
the workers' personal growth led to professional growth, instead of the
other way around.
The results of the TOP project suggest that
post-employment support is as vital to success in the workplace as
pre-employment support. Low-wage workers need the maximum amount of
resources and tools available not only to sustain employment, but also
to increase their opportunities for advancement. “Through this and
other retention strategies, Goodwill is creating tools for long-term
employment and career advancement that help move low-wage workers
toward economic independence,” says Kessinger.
The project was
undertaken in five local Goodwill agencies in Honolulu, Los Angeles,
San Francisco, Peoria, IL, and Reading, PA. Based on the initial
success, Goodwill is exploring opportunities to collaborate with
national, state and local entities to replicate the TOP project in
other cities across the country. |
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