Healdsburg Youth Invited To Participate In Job Skills Program

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Healdsburg youth interested in joining the workforce are invited to participate in a five-week virtual workshop series offered by Goodwill-Redwood Empire.

The eighth cohort of the organization's Good4Youth program begins Feb. 18 and is free to youth ages 15-20. The program helps build work readiness and is followed by a 90-day paid internship that provides real-life work experience.

The curriculum covers career exploration, resume building, interviews, employer expectations, and interpersonal skills. Local professionals are invited as guest speakers to share information about their jobs, including the education needed, work culture/environment, expectations, what they like about their work/employer, and workplace challenges.

Participants who complete the workshops receive a Work Readiness for Youth certification and the opportunity to complete a three-month paid internship at Goodwill. The internship enables the youth to apply what they learned in the workshops and gain work experience for their resumes.

"I found that I gained confidence with being able to step into new situations and interact with people out of my age group," a recent program graduate said. "The confidence I gained through participating in the program has given me a sense of freedom."

Goodwill-Redwood Empire fully funds the program through community donations and support.

Informational sessions for youth and parents are scheduled on Zoom for Jan. 28 and Feb. 13. Youths ready to apply can use the QR code or go to https://gire.org/programs/. For more information, email programs@gire.org.