From being incarcerated to developing skills with the NRF Foundation’s RISE Up program that led to a fresh start and better opportunities, Alex Garcia’s life has changed completely.
“I was job-seeking,” Garcia says about his search for employment after serving five years in prison. “I was getting shut down.”
But then he earned the NRF Foundation’s RISE Up Customer Service and Sales certification at Goodwill Southern California, learning the skills he needed to stand out. He was hired as a sales trainee at Goodwill and started working his way up.
In the years since completing NRF Foundation training, he has been promoted several times and is now a case manager, assisting people with similar backgrounds as they turn their lives around.
“Just like somebody gave me a hand, I want to become a helping hand to somebody else,” Garcia says.
Garcia is among the hundreds of thousands who have completed RISE Up training from the NRF Foundation, which is available through more than 1,400 training partners – including community organizations, high schools, career-and-technical education centers and more – across the country.
The NRF Foundation provides the skills and resources people of all backgrounds need to build life-changing careers. The NRF Foundation’s award-winning suite of training and credentials is designed to give people the skills and confidence they need to build careers in the industry that’s a great place to start and a great place to grow. Learn more about RISE Up courses here.