Thursday | February 3, 2022
Goodwill Central Texas is thrilled to announce it is a recipient of a $50,000 grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation to support our Goodwill Career & Technical Academy (GCTA) Phlebotomy program. These funds translate into full program scholarships for 20 future phlebotomists in the Central Texas community.
The GCTA Phlebotomy program provides unrivaled support to students from the moment they step into the classroom to graduation day and beyond. With wraparound services including career placement upon certification, the phlebotomy program is a shining example of Goodwill Central Texas’ overarching mission to transform lives through the power of work.
After completion of the six-week program, students are prepared to take the state test to become a certified phlebotomist, allowing them to join an in-demand and high-paying field. Students receive hands-on training in blood draw techniques and laboratory safety, in addition to coursework in anatomy and physiology. The average wage of a phlebotomist in Austin is $17 per hour!
And the field is continuously growing! According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, phlebotomy is one of the fastest-growing careers in the country. Job opportunities in the field are expected to climb an astounding 17% by 2029, which is leaps and bounds above other occupations. Not only are Goodwill and Bank of America partnering to change the lives of the future phlebotomists of Central Texas, but we are teaming up to provide an in-demand segment of the regional workforce.
With the tremendous support of Bank of America, Goodwill’s experienced instructors prepare even more students to work in a clinical lab in a hospital, laboratory, or physician’s office. GCTA’s phlebotomy instructor maintains a 100% graduate certificate pass rate so prospective students can feel confident they are in extraordinarily experienced hands.
That means even more inspiring success stories like that of Celia, who graduated from not only our Phlebotomy program in 2018 after first obtaining her high school diploma through the Goodwill Excel Center and completing the GCTA Nursing Assistant program. Upon graduation, Goodwill’s career case management services connected Celia to her first job in the medical field – a lifelong dream of hers.
“It’s something that I always dreamed of, but I never saw myself doing,” she told Goodwill in 2018. With the assistance of Goodwill, Celia was able to not only achieve but surpass her dreams. Goodwill is excited to share the next group of success stories from our Phlebotomy program, as made possible by this grant funding from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation.