Independent Goodwill May Expand Job-Training Programs

Goodwill Industries has provided job-skills training to residents of Ventura County since the organization opened an office in Oxnard in 1961.

But as of today, instead of serving as a division of the Southern California office, the local program is an independent corporation.

Kathy Leahy, president and chief executive of the new Goodwill Industries of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, said the autonomy should help the nonprofit organization better serve the local community.

“Logic tells you the more locally governed and centralized the structure can be in Ventura County, the better,” said Leahy, who has served as division director since September. “This gives us an opportunity to work with the community and determine what is needed here . . . what services can we provide that will make people more employable in this community.”

Previously, decision making was handled by officers of Los Angeles-based Goodwill Industries of Southern California.

The corporation will continue to pay annual dues to Goodwill Industries International for use of its name, logo, technical support, training and other services. The dues are equal to about 1% of the corporation’s annual budget, which this year will be about $3 million.

Goodwill Industries of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties provides computer clerical training; a work-experience program through which it employs clients in its own Oxnard facility; a Supported Employment Enclave, through which it teams with the Ventura Harbortown Marina Resort to employ workers at the hotel; and other job-skills assistance.

The organization’s clients have traditionally been those with disabilities, but more recently have included people on welfare and government-funded disability, those grappling with language barriers and other roadblocks to employment.

Its job-training services in the region are funded largely by Goodwill’s local retail shops, located in Simi Valley, Santa Paula, Oxnard, Ventura, Santa Barbara and Santa Maria.

Leahy said the new corporate structure, which will include a volunteer board of directors and a community-based business advisory board, probably will lead to expanded programs across the board.

“I could see us expanding our clerical computer-training program and adding other components like bookkeeping and accounting,” she said. “Or getting away from that, maybe adding other skills like truck driving or retail-sales training.”

Leahy said she expects the shift to spur more volunteer support from businesses and individuals who will have a vested interest in the organization and its clients.

With increased services, she said, also will come an increase in the number of stores the group runs.

“The only way we can expand vocational services is to have the financial resources to do so,” Leahy said. “And the only way to do that is to expand our retail operation.”

Goodwill Industries of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, with 142 employees, is the 188th independent Goodwill corporation in North America.