Goodwill Omaha program encourages success for people of color with social media marketing certificate

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - A new social media program for young adults in Omaha is promising to put its graduates in positions for a lifelong career in marketing.

You don’t even need a high school diploma or be enrolled in college to qualify.

Many people see a Goodwill sign and think of clothes. But Goodwill also strengthens communities through employment and its latest initiative with Facebook zeroes in on diversity and digital literacy for a social media marketing certificate.

“Companies are realizing at this point that they need to jump on board and not be foolish and expand their network and social media presence,” said Sarah.

It’s an accelerated online training that gives young Black adults transferable brand management skills. A skill this entrepreneur says is invaluable.

“Companies are paying for social media managers. There’s literally an entire psychology behind branding. Colors, names, fonts,” said Alona.

At 22, Alona Turner generates income through Airbnb. She credits part of her success with that through her ability to leverage social media.

“Everything with branding goes into social media. You have to make sure you’re consistent, professional. Especially with Airbnb. Customer testimonials, they wanna know if it’s clean. They want to know what they’re getting,” said Alona.

As a brand consultant, Turner says a thorough knowledge of consumer psychology will take you far. The Goodwill Omaha program gives adults who may not have a diploma or college a level playing field to compete for marketing jobs in an evolving era.

“Just in the last year and a half since the pandemic, the hundreds of thousands of people who are working for home. This just creates more opportunities for those people to be more flexible in the hours that they work and the ways that they work,” said Linda.

The online classes can be taken at home or at the Goodwill office. After completing 100 hours of training, an employment specialist helps graduates find a career.

“Help prepare for an interview, job application, even go to an interview with them,” said Linda.

Goodwill says the Facebook certificate is respected in the marketing industry. Turner says to snag it for free will give young, Black, emerging professionals lasting opportunities to make money doing what they love.

“You like sports, technology, and fashion. You’re able to hit all of those different interests, just by helping out business. And they will pay a ton,” said Alona.

They’re accepting 10 people from now until the end of the year and they’ll have another cohort in 2022. Again, you have to be at least 18 years old, identify as a person of color and have a passion for social media.

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