For Immediate Release, September 07, 2023
The center will offer training for Ohio’s Broadband and 5G Sector Workforce Strategy
(Columbus, Ohio) — Goodwill Columbus opened its third and largest job training center at its Brice Road location today. In addition to offering free job training and certifications across several specialties, Gov. Mike DeWine announced that Goodwill will serve as a partner for the Office of Workforce Transformation’s Broadband and 5G Sector Workforce Strategy.
“In order to achieve our goal of getting high-speed internet access to underserved and unserved Ohioans across state, we need to also train Ohioans for the thousands of jobs in broadband technology. Partners like Goodwill are offering this free training so that Ohio will have a broadband and 5G workforce ready to make high-speed internet access a reality,” said Governor Mike DeWine.
The Brice Road location features a storefront, donation center, 61,000 square feet of warehouse space, and Franklin County’s only Goodwill outlet store. The addition at Brice Road will mark Goodwill Columbus’ third free job training center and the second location to offer professional services alongside retail. In July of this year, Goodwill Columbus debuted the first job training center storefront combo at its new Clintonville Location.
“Previously Goodwill had 20,000 square feet of training space, with the additions of the Clintonville Job Training Center and now Brice Road, we’re at 30,000 square feet and are in three different neighborhoods in Central Ohio to provide better access,” said Ryan D. Burgess, CEO of Goodwill Columbus. “Back in January, we were getting 20 inquiries a week about job training. Now, we’re averaging 175 inquiries per week. The need is great, and we are thrilled to help meet our clients where they are and move them into their next best job.”
Brice Road will offer the broadband training courses which is part of the One Columbus JobsOhio Region Hub. These training courses help to ensure that Ohio has a skilled and prepared workforce to fill an estimated 32,000 network infrastructure jobs so build-out happens quickly and effectively.
The job training centers offer day and night courses in IT, healthcare, hospitality, commercial driving, broadband and more. The new facility will also serve as a community asset, providing conference rooms, collaboration space, and trainings that are available to everyone in the community for free.
Governor DeWine was the featured speaker at a grand opening celebration for the new Brice Road Job Training Center (2675 Brice Rd.), underscoring the importance of Goodwill and other training providers to ensure broadband access across Ohio. More information about Brice Road and Goodwill Columbus’ other locations can be found at https://www.goodwillcolumbus.org.
ABOUT GOODWILL COLUMBUS
Goodwill Columbus is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has served the Central Ohio community for nearly 85 years. With more than 1,000 employees, Goodwill Columbus is one of the region’s largest job providers employing individuals with diverse backgrounds. Goodwill Columbus has 12 retail stores, a last chance outlet, an ecommerce facility, 8 attended donation centers, 5 I/DD service locations, and free job training services at The South Front Street Job Training Center, The Jerry Hammond Center, The Reeb Center, and 14 Columbus Metropolitan Library locations. The organization is a proud member of Goodwill Industries International, a network of over 150 community-based organizations throughout the United States and Canada that sell donated goods to create job opportunities and training in local communities.
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Media Contact: Audrey Adair, Irvin PR
(614) 570-0111, [email protected]