Learning and Career Center

Our Mission

The purpose of the Learning and Career Center is to assist students to develop their God-given skills through educational and vocational training tools for the purpose of gaining and maintaining meaningful work that benefits them and their community. In addition, the LCC seeks to build a bridge between the parents and students of our community with the local school district so that school-aged children residing in the Family Life Center may attain tools and skills to achieve academic success.

Goals

• The goal of the LCC is to provide applicable education and career planning so that residents may gain wisdom to apply to every situation in life. Thereby making the right choices, consistently growing in maturity, developing wisdom, knowledge, responsibility, and understanding, in order to be viable witnesses of Christ in the workplace. These things will be accomplished by:

  • Using up-to-date curriculum

  • Establishing collaborative partnerships with community agencies, churches, businesses, volunteers, and educational institutions and organizations.

  • Relevant classes on career readiness, money management, GED preparation, computer skills, and educational review of needed subject matter.

Ongoing Activities

• Learning and Career Center daily classes. Classes teach computer literacy on Microsoft Office 2000 programs, writing, reading, business math, GED and college preparation, and keyboarding.

• Soft skills to succeed in the workplace. Students are taught through all groups, classes, and tutoring sessions key business soft skills such as punctuality, conflict resolution, how to appropriately relate to co-workers and authority figures, responsibility, and accountability.

• Ready, Set, Go! This class focuses on the Biblical foundation for working, acquiring job preparation skills, and how to maintain employment.

• Money Management. This group focuses on a Biblical approach to finances, appropriate priorities in spending money, budgeting, credit, and getting and staying out of debt.

• Tax preparation and education. This service is given by one of our volunteers who is a CPA. Teaches residents how to file taxes and then walks them through the process of filing their taxes for that year.

• Financial and Credit Counseling. This service is also given by one of our volunteers. A resident's financial situation is assessed and payment plans are arranged so that a resident can start paying off debt and preparing for transitioning out of the mission. Residents are held accountable to meet their financial goals.

• Tutoring. Volunteers tutor adult students on a one-on-one basis for preparing for the GED exam or in a subject area in which a resident is experiencing difficulty. Also, use education major college students to tutor children at the FLC with their schoolwork.

• Community GED classes. Evening GED classes are held on a weekly basis and are open to the community. Classes are held in the Learning and Career Center. This is used as a tool to connect the community and community agencies to the City Mission.

• Work Therapy Volunteering. In the beginning stages of developing collaborative partnerships with businesses and agencies in the community to get residents to volunteer in a career field they are interested in as part of their work therapy assignments.

• Career placement. Upon completion of Ready, Set, Go! Residents may receive assistance to locate sustainable employment through the use of the Learning and Career Center's resources.

• Summer Ministry. Collaborating with the Community Outreach Department to include more educational content and focus in the summer program to students in grades 3-5.

• Parent advocacy. Work with mothers residing in the Family Life Center to show them how to be more involved in their child's educational process (go to parent teacher conferences, check on student's homework). Explain the importance of being involved. Assist parents with children who receive special educational services to insure that their children are receiving all of their required services and to help translate all of the material given to parents by the school district into plain English.