Spencer Parker spent most of his career serving school districts across the country in support roles. He first came to Goodwill through the Goodwill Works program in September of 2019. He was at imminent risk of homelessness due to a change in his job and low retirement income available to him. He became employed with the help of Goodwill and at the age of 55, joined a senior’s program to support his work goals where he noticed a shift in workforce needs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As an older worker, he struggled to find employment that suited his needs and valued his experience, a barrier that many job-seekers aged 55 and older have reported.
Today, more Americans are choosing to remain employed longer and retire later than the once-standard retirement age of 65. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the share of people
in the workforce who are aged 55 and older has grown from 13% in 2000 to 24% in 2020. As these changes occur, employers must evolve to accommodate shifting labor force demographics. Goodwill is dedicated to providing older workers with the assistance they need to obtain current, in-demand job skills and training to secure employment today.
Besides his age, Spencer struggled with other barriers including lack of a high school diploma and a criminal background. To overcome his barriers to employment, in August of 2021, Spencer turned once again to Goodwill North Central Texas, which is committed to providing workforce development, job placement, educational trainin
g, and other supportive services to individuals with criminal records who are seeking positive re-entry Through collaborative partnerships with other community organizations and businesses, our clients can become employed and reenter the workforce. To increase his skills and improve his employment opportunities, Spencer enrolled in the Opportunity Accelerator (OA) program, which provides free job training, resume development and job search support. Spencer worked with Job Placement Specialists to put together his resume and discuss his goals for future employment. On June 7th, 2022, Spencer found the perfect fit with ABM Industries Inc., a facility management provider that partners with Goodwill’s Workforce Development team.
When asked about the process with the OA program, Spencer said, “I share my experience with everyone so they can get the hook-up from Goodwill. They are reliable and involved in helping people. Even people at work ask me how I got such a great job in the quality department? I got it with Goodwill!”