SPRINGDALE -- Benton and Washington counties are home to 44,000 people without high school diplomas and even more needing job skills, said Brian Marsh.
Goodwill Industries of Arkansas is set to change that, he said.
Goodwill will start classes May 1 at its new Goodwill Training and Education Center at 2100 S. Old Missouri Road in Springdale. This is the second such center in Arkansas, with the first in Little Rock.
Goodwill plans three more, with the organization's board of directors agreeing to provide funding.
Marsh is president and chief executive officer of Goodwill Industries of Arkansas. He spoke Friday morning in Springdale to community leaders about Goodwill's plans for Northwest Arkansas.
The center will be home to both the Excel Center, a high school for adults to earn high school diplomas, and the Academy at Goodwill, providing job skills and opportunities for students.
Both programs are prepared to serve 350 students each, said Lane Gammel, director of marketing and community engagement for Goodwill.
"You know that Goodwill is a place to donate your items and a place to shop," Marsh said. "But most people don't know we provide education and employment training."
The Excel Center's free programs will work with students' individual needs to earn their diplomas, with flexible and accelerated class schedules to meet the needs of working adults, Marsh said.
The programs also include life coaching, career services, drop-in child care and transportation assistance -- all free, Marsh said.
The nonprofit's 36 retail shops throughout the state will support the Excel program in Springdale and Little Rock, Marsh said.
The academy will offer courses of study in the areas of business administration, health care, information technologies and skilled trades.
Tuition does apply, varying by program, Gammel said. But the tuition provides everything students will need in the courses, such as a helmet for welders or a lab coat for pharmacy technician training. The program also pays the certification fee of each student.
Goodwill also offers services to help students start new careers and for individuals reentering the workforce after incarceration. These are available at Goodwill locations around the state, including Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Rogers, Siloam Springs and Springdale.
The Goodwill Training and Education Center comes to a community with two established career and technical schools, Northwest Technical Institute and Northwest Arkansas Community College.
The technical institute is set to serve 3,000 students this year, said Jim Rollins, president. The school offers diploma and certificate programs in many fields.
Northwest Technical's adult education programs offer free instruction for community members needing to obtain a high school equivalency diploma.
Guests listen Friday, March 31, 2023 during a presentation by Goodwill Industries of Arkansas. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T. Wampler)
Springdale Mayor Doug Sprouse talks about Goodwill coming to Springdale Friday March 31, 2023. The Academy at Goodwill and Excel Center are expected to open this spring. The facility will offer high school education for adults as well as job training. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T. Wampler)