It’s a conundrum nearly as old as the one about the chicken or the egg. Who can say which came first?
But this riddle isn’t merely philosophical. It’s a real barrier for many people. You can’t get a job unless you have experience. But how can you get experience if no one will hire you without it?
Goodwill helps solve the dilemma. The organization teaches a broad range of skills – from computer and digital skills to resume writing to the one most applicable to Lowe’s: Skilled trades.
Lowe’s believes in Goodwill’s construction training program so much that the company committed both dollars (a $75,000 grant to Goodwill of Middle Tennessee in 2020) and associates to serve as instructors.
Through the grant, Goodwill purchased nail guns, drills, levels, screws, lumber and plumbing supplies to expand hands-on learning in its construction and weatherization training program, which has been taught in Nashville for a decade. The grant also enabled the program to purchase video equipment necessary to provide online instruction during COVID-19.
The training program operates from Goodwill’s warehouse in West Nashville. Students attend classes five days a week for four weeks, learning the names and uses of most construction tools, how to stay safe on the job, how to properly measure materials for projects and more. Students earn a stipend of $100 per week.
‘Creating independence’
Goodwill is both an important community partner and a Lowe’s customer. Regional Pro Sales Manager Danny Knowles is a big fan of the construction training. “It’s a phenomenal program,” he said. “It gives opportunities to people to advance their careers they never thought possible. It’s creating independence.”
Students split their time evenly between instruction in the classroom and workshop. Classroom lessons are now, due to COVID-19, augmented with online homework, using videos shot and produced with equipment from the Lowe’s grant.
Online videos allow students who cannot regularly commute to Nashville to get instruction, although those students must attend at least one class in person to graduate.
COVID-19 has forced Goodwill to restrict class size. “But thanks to Lowe’s, we are primed for growth once the pandemic winds down,” said instructor Tim Kahn. “The construction industry remains strong in Middle Tennessee, and those companies need skilled workers. Goodwill is giving people the knowledge and experience to succeed in those jobs and earn a good income for their families.”
The training program averages about 75 participants per year. The Lowe’s grant may enable Goodwill to increase that number to 120 this year – a 60% increase.
Tim Hendrickson, a Lowe’s store manager in Nashville said, “Goodwill identifies students, and Lowe’s – along with volunteers from other companies – goes in to teach them how to use power tools, how to lay tile, carpentry skills, painting – the basics to give someone the confidence they need to apply for a job.”
“If I say I need a three-gauge wire, do you know what I'm talking about?” Hendrickson asked rhetorically. “Do you know what a crescent wrench looks like and is used for? A lot of people don’t understand that. You have to understand the lingo of construction, electrical work and plumbing to get a job.”
Knowles appreciates that the program starts with the basics and builds into a comprehensive course. You don’t have to have ever held a hammer to come away from this program as a confident, qualified handyman – or handywoman, as the case may be.
“We had a young lady looking to build her skills,” Knowles said. “She’s a single mom and wanted to learn a skilled trade so she could increase her income. She completed the program and has been doing extremely well. By the time people graduate from this, they have been part of a crew that built a tiny house.”
Goodwill provides students with job placement assistance once they graduate. Of the 86 students who completed the program in 2019, 77% found a job in construction upon graduation. And some of these students have historically had a hard time getting hired due to being formerly incarcerated or having a language barrier.
“What’s really great about the program,” Knowles said, “is we have actually hired graduates. It’s another avenue for us to be able to recruit talent. We know that graduates of the program have a knowledge base to bring to the retail sector. And they have more confidence because of that knowledge.”
Thanks to Goodwill and Lowe’s, program graduates don’t ever have to hear a recruiter say, “But you don’t have experience.”
