Goodwill Program: Construction Training

“The only way you will see success is if you refuse failure. Thanks to Goodwill, it feels great to do something in the world now.”

Nakia boasts two resumes – one he is proud of and one he's not.

Today, most people know Nakia as an established construction worker and graduate of  Goodwill’s Occupational Skills Training program in Construction.

Nakia’s work ethic and determination overshadow a past of “selling drugs and toting guns.” The 35-year-old grew up in a reform school and did prison time – making his past and lack of skills a major barrier to employment.

“I almost gave up. My wife was looking at me and telling me I can’t stop. One day she came home with a pamphlet with Goodwill on it,” Nakia says.

That Goodwill pamphlet changed his life. After completing Goodwill’s construction training program in conjunction with Central Piedmont Community College, Nakia used his new skills along with ambition and persistence on the job search.

Watch a WCNC news clip featuring Nakia’s accomplishments

“He presented himself professionally, sincerely and honestly,” said Kathy Kent, the recruiting manager at Wayne Bros. “He kept calling. I wanted to hire him to start. At the time, we only had out-of-town work.”

Eventually, Nakia’s persistence paid off when a position opened up at Wayne Bros in Charlotte.

His first work assignment: building a condo and retail complex near South Park Mall. Nakia describes the first construction job his “first accomplishment” in life –something he will always be proud of when he drives by the soon-to-be finished building.

Having a wife and family to support was the motivating factor for Nakia to turn his life around.

“I wasn’t the only one the depended on me,” Nakia says. “The only way you will see success is if you refuse failure. Thanks to Goodwill, it feels great to do something in the world now.”