ROANOKE, Va. – Virginia’s Secretary of Labor visited The Excel Center in Roanoke to get a firsthand look at how the state’s first adult high school is helping shape Virginia’s workforce. The school, operated by Goodwill Industries of the Valleys, serves adults 18 and older through an accelerated diploma program and offers free childcare, transportation assistance, life coaching and career counseling.
Excel Center offers more than a diploma
The center is designed to remove the barriers that often keep adults from finishing school. Flexible scheduling and career-focused services are central to the model, helping students move toward better-paying work and new career opportunities. Officials say more than 50 people have enrolled since the center opened.
Secretary of Labor Jessica Looman said the center reflects what workforce support should look like beyond simply helping someone land a job.
“Our role in our job is not done when you get the job. Our role is to be a community…this place embodies what it means to provide that community so you can go from employment to advancement to opportunity.”
Center’s design reflects a forward-looking mission
Even the building’s design carries meaning. Richmond Vincent pointed to the blue fixtures overhead as a symbol of the center’s philosophy.
“If you look above at the blue, that’s not just some wild fixture there...that reflects looking back at our best practices from the past and bringing them forward so that we can be successful in the future.”
Nine months in, lives are already changing
Just nine months after opening, the Excel Center is already making an impact — giving adults in the Roanoke area a real pathway to a high school diploma and a better career.