It’s that time of year, students across the country are dusting off their backpacks and uniforms and heading back to school. For some, due to personal choices or bad circumstances, graduating from high school has become a distant dream.
Every year, thousands of students drop out of high school for a variety of reasons –from lack of educational support to family and economic needs or poor academic performance as a result of low engagement or individualized attention. For these people, it can often be difficult to find a job or achieve their goals.
To help combat this issue, Goodwill North Central Texas developed E2, which stands for Education and Employment. This program allows young adults age 16-24 to obtain their high school equivalency certificate AND paid work experience at the same time – for free.
Through E2, students work with a Fort Worth ISD instructor that helps them prepare for the HiSET high school equivalency exam (HSE), work at Goodwill to earn a paycheck, and have the opportunity to participate in valuable life skills classes and mentoring opportunities with a youth specialist.
In just two years, E2 has produced 24 proud graduates who have moved on to further their education and/or new employment opportunities.
As part of the success of the program, the Goodwill North Central Texas has also become an official HiSET testing center to make the journey even easier for participants.
Do you know someone who could benefit from this program? Call 817.332.7866 x 2104 or X2040 or email e2@goodwillnct.org.
Still skeptical?
Hear about the program from our graduates:
“Thanks to the Goodwill E2 program, I got my GED and a job!” – Nancy Ramos-Sanchez:
“Without E2, right now, I’d be homeless.” Bradley Cheek: