In early June 2026, CVS Pharmacy and Goodwill Southern California opened a no-cost career skills lab at Goodwill's Lincoln Heights headquarters. The facility features a full-scale replica of a CVS retail store, complete with authentic fixtures, where participants practice everything from stocking shelves to operating pharmacy technology. The program targets individuals with significant employment barriers, including the formerly incarcerated, those lacking work experience, and other disadvantaged groups, according to the joint announcement.

A replica CVS store in Lincoln Heights, stock shelves to pharmacy tech

The CVS Health Career Skills Lab is not a typical classroom. As reported by the partners, it contains a mock CVS with real equipment and shelving, allowing trainees to rehearse cash handling, customer service, and inventory management in a realistic setting. Unlike some training programs that rely solely on digital simulations, this lab gives participants tactile experience — handling actual products, scanning barcodes, and navigating a space designed to mirror a working pharmacy. The partnership is a first for Goodwill Southern California, which has long run job-training programs but never with a corporate replica store on site, a Goodwill manager told the press.

Targeting the formerly incarcerated, the inexperienced, and the disadvantaged

The lab's explicit focus on the formerly incarcerated is notable. One participant, 36-year-old Michael Vasquez, who spent 14 years in prison, shared that before the program he was lost and had never held a job ; he is now gaining confidence and practical skills with the goal of landing a job at an actual CVS store, the source reported. eligibility requires applicants to be at least 18, have completed at least an 8th-grade level of math, and hold a high school diplma or GED. The wraparound support — career counseling, mentoring, and job placement assistance — comes through Goodwill's existing employment services, extending the lab's value beyond the replica walls.

Wraparound services and the question of scalability

Beyond the hands-on training,participants receive comprehensive support designed to address the holistic barriers they face. goodwill's manager Jorgelina Marin emphasized that personal stories like Vasquez's demonstrate the program's profound impact, according to the source. Yet the source provides only one participant narrative, and it is unclear how many individuals the lab can accommodate at once or what the graduation rate looks like. the lab is currently open to applicants from Los Angeles and San Bernardino service areas, with contact information provided for both. Greg Schmidt, director of CVS workforce initiatives, said the lab reflects a commitment to building community-based pathways into meaningful careers by creating realistic training environments with trusted local partners.

What happens after graduation — and how many get hired?

The source notes that successful graduates are positioned for career opportunities at CVS Health or within the broader health care and retail sectors, but it does not specify placement targets or track record. Open questions remain: What percentage of graduates actually secure employment at CVS stores? Does the program have a measurable impact on reducing recidivism among formerly incarcerated participants? And is this model replicable in other cities, where real estate and partnership costs may differ? The collaboration represents a strategic effort to address workforce needs while empowering marginalized populations, but without longitudinal data, its long-term effectiveness is still unproven, as the reporting implicitly acknowledges.