Goodwill & Interplay Partner for Skilled Trades Training
Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont partnered with Interplay Learning in December 2020 to provide community members in the Charlotte region with accelerated, flexible online and VR training in skilled trades such as HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and facilities maintenance, addressing a labor gap during the COVID-19 pandemic by enabling participants to gain job-relevant skills and hands-on simulated experience despite social distancing constraints.
Goodwill Construction Skills Training Center is preparing community members for promising trade careers in just weeks with Interplay’s online and VR training solutions. Participants benefit from accelerated, job-relevant online training, the opportunity to enhance their existing skills, and the flexibility to learn at any time of day.
Partnership Overview
Interplay Learning, a global leader in training essential skilled trade workers, partnered with Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont at its Goodwill Construction Skills Training Center. The partnership began in December 2020 to offer safe, interactive training to community members looking to launch or advance trade careers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, unemployment in the Charlotte region reached a historic high, while opportunities in the construction industry grew by 3%, creating a widespread labor gap. Interplay’s training solution enables Goodwill to meet an urgent need in the Charlotte market by providing job seekers with in-demand skills, allowing them to capitalize on available opportunities within the construction industry.
“Goodwill is all about helping people see possibilities, seize opportunities and prosper,” said Marvin Kelley, Director of Construction & Trade Training at Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont. “Using Interplay allows more community members to see the possibilities that exist within skilled trades careers, helping participants simulate hands-on experiences during this time when we’re all socially distant and on-site builds aren’t possible. Interactive training offerings like Interplay’s, coupled with the personal support and career coaching Goodwill offers, are helping more people in our community launch new careers and change their circumstances to achieve their goals.”
Doug Donovan, Founder and CEO of Interplay Learning, added: “Goodwill’s addition of our VR training for HVAC, plumbing, electrical and facilities maintenance, allows its program participants to quickly access the hands-on style of learning needed to gain the skills they need to launch new careers. Interplay’s platform complements Goodwill’s career training programs’ wraparound supports such as coaching, basic needs and more, to help people build better careers and better lives. We’re honored to assist Goodwill in this endeavor and love seeing our mission at work.”
About Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont
Goodwill exists to help people see possibilities, seize opportunities and prosper. The nonprofit has been serving individuals and families in the Southern Piedmont region of North and South Carolina for 55 years. Goodwill operates 26 retail stores and has more than 30 donation sites in the region. As a social enterprise, proceeds from the sale of donated goods fund job training and employment services offered free of charge to members of the community. Goodwill partners with individuals as they identify their strengths, interests and goals, and develop marketable skills to pursue meaningful and fulfilling work that provides financial well-being, personal growth and advancement. In 2020, Goodwill helped 697 people launch new careers, provided coaching to 1,381 individuals and helped 397 people complete training.
About Interplay Learning
Founded in 2016, Austin, Texas-based Interplay Learning is the leading global provider of online and VR training for the essential skilled trades. The firm develops and delivers scalable, highly effective digital learning simulations for the HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, Solar, Multi-family Maintenance and Facilities Maintenance workforce. Using Comersive Learning technology, Interplay Learning allows its customers to practice hands-on learning and train to be job-ready in weeks, not years. The company is an AHR Expo – Innovations Awards 2020 Winner. Interplay Learning is building better training, better careers and better lives for its customers and their employees.
Media Contact
Ria Romano
RPR Public Relations, Inc.
786-290-6413
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