Nine 'Work Ready' graduates paired with employers during graduation ceremony at Albany Goodwill

Alan Mauldin, The Albany Herald, Ga.
·2 min read

Nov. 12—ALBANY — Even if half of his fellow graduates had not mentioned Eugene Dawson as an inspiration, he would have been hard to miss; he was the only sexegenarian in a group ranging from young 20s to their 40s.

Dawson, one of nine of the latest graduates from Georgia's Construction Ready program hosted on Thursday by Goodwill Industries of the Southern Rivers, said he hopes he will inspire others.

"It can be done," Dawson, who recently moved back to his hometown from Hawaii, said during an interview following the ceremony. "Age is no barrier. You've just got to work hard."

Dawson, whose sister Sharolyn Dawson works in the Goodwill Retail store two doors down from the Career Center, was on hand to give her brother a hug. Dawson will start an electrical apprenticeship with A. West Enterprise, where graduates Willis Calloway, Jason Jones and Randell Thompson also landed positions.

Program graduates Zyderries Edwards, Jalen Perkins and Britney Smith were paired with Oxford Construction Co., Joshua Jordan with JCI Contractors, and Joshua Smith with SafeAire.

Like several other of the graduates, Dawson said he got into the program during a visit to the Career Center.

"The class was going on, and they got me into it," he said. "It was a wonderful experience; a lot of people learned a lot of skills. I would also recommend this to others. That's all I'm doing is spreading the word."

Family members and friends were on hand to congratulate the class members as they received certificates and assignments while dressed in traditional graduation garb. The ceremony was followed by cake and snacks.

"It's good, a lot of helpful information," Edwards said after the ceremony. "I'd like to thank my family, friends, Goodwill. On an overall score, I give it 10 out of 10."

Construction Ready takes participants through a free 20-day construction education program that ends with training, credentialing and job placement. This Albany class began Oct. 17 as Construction Ready partnered with Goodwill Industries of the Southern Rivers for the expansion of its pre-apprenticeship construction training program in Albany.

The pre-apprenticeship program provided participants with the training and credentials needed for entry-level jobs in the construction industry. Funding for all the students was provided by Goodwill.

For more information and to register for the next Albany class, applicants should visit https://constructionready.org/career-seekers/overview/.