On March 24, the Skyline College and Goodwill Industries collaborative offering of BUS 269: Domestic Warehousing and Logistics, held its 15th cohort graduation at Goodwill Industries headquarters in San Francisco. The graduation featured process improvement presentations where students, using the knowledge gained throughout their time in the classroom and on the Goodwill Industries warehousing floor, highlighted key areas for operational efficiency and innovation.
One student process improvement presentation introduced the use of a rewards program for frequent customers, while another showcased how the use of technology in the donations process could lead to increased donation and ease of access for donors. Lead faculty member, Alpha Lewis was joined by Goodwill Industries’, CEO, William Rogers, Director of Workforce Development, Megan Kenny, Jeremy Evangelista, Career Advancement Academy (CAA) Program Services Coordinator, and Alina Varona, CAA Faculty Coordinator. After their final presentations, students were presented with certificates of achievement and received warm applause from audience members. Goodwill Industries CEO, William Rogers shared his appreciation for the students’ well–researched presentations and proposed that the next cohort present their ideas directly to Goodwill’s Board of Directors. William remains a staunch advocate and source of encouragement for each cohort of students, championing the implementation of their ideas, their mobility within the company, and their future connection to Skyline College.
Students who enroll in this ten-week collaborative offering receive four units of college credit, attend an all-day orientation at Skyline College, receive an OSHA 10, Forklifting, Baler, and Hazmat industry recognized certificate, participate in skill building workshops, and get hands-on, work-based learning experiences at the Goodwill Industries warehousing facilities in Burlingame.
Past Domestic Warehousing and Logistics students have continued their educational journeys as full-time Skyline College students in the Automotive and Allied Health Career Advancement Academy, enrolled in additional Skyline College Business courses, and taken Entrepreneurship courses at Skyline College to establish and grow their businesses.
The Career Advancement Academy connects students to higher wage careers and opportunities in higher education by integrating accelerated and contextualized English and math, career technical education, and integrated student support. Currently, the Career Advancement Academy has programs in Allied Health, Automotive Technology, Biotechnology, and Legal Careers with additional high school bridge programming at Baden High School and Peninsula High School. For more information about the Career Advancement Academy, the Goodwill Industries partnership, or related programs, please contact Jeremy Evangelista, evangelistaJ@smccd.edu.
Article by Jeremy Evangelista
