Urban League - LITES Program

Contact
704-896-0471 x 124
Cara Schlitz

Linking Individuals To Employment Success (LITES)

LITES is designed to provide individual and group career development services for out of school young adults, adults and seniors. The program is aimed to assist individuals in meeting their needs, helping them better understand who they are, where they are going, and what they are going to do along the road. It is designed to serve as a support system for assisting individuals in developing a personal and career road map to help them towards self-sufficiency.

Service Components:

Find below the top ten key components of the types of services that can/would be offered:

Attitude Development: Esteem Building Techniques & Managing Change

If you are separated from your job, you need to manage the whole change process. At first, some displaced individuals may suffer from a sense of loss, lowered self-esteem, and other negative feelings such as anger, guilt, and even shock. This service or training can help individuals examine and resolve these feelings.

Assessing Yourself and Your Career

A thorough assessment of your skills, accomplishments, needs and values can help clarify your goals and the steps you need to take to achieve them. This can be accomplished through a series of exercises and interviews, and personal and career assessment, evaluation and goal setting. A personal Individual Career Plan (ICP) and an assessment instrument, such as the JIST Personal and Career Interest survey can be used.

Using Your Assessment in Strategic Career Management

With all of the information gathered during the Career Assessment Process, this service helps you develop a long- term career strategy, as well as define your next position and role.

Changing Your Career

This module discusses realistically the challenges involved for those interested in changing careers.

Applying for a Job

Gathering the necessary personal materials, Completing the Employment Application, and Creating a Basic & Effective Resume

This session reviews types of employment applications and necessary required materials, discussions on references, issues regarding being an Exoffender, and resumes in common use and provide guidelines for creating your own resume. Sample resumes and worksheets are included. Developing cover letters, reference lists, learning work ethics and office etiquette are all part of this component as well.

Planning How To Get To Your Desired Designation: Your Campaign for Success

It is not enough to have a goal — you need a plan to get you there. This module provides you with an overview of some of the key strategies for locating a new position, such as networking, contacting search firms, sending direct marketing letters, and answering advertisements. Learning the use of the Internet, website use, researching or learning about companies through the web are just some of the examples of this effort.

Finding Good Job Leads & Networking Effectively

Since over 65% of professionals obtain their new positions through networking, it deserves special attention. You will learn how to use your personal network to obtain the position you desire by arranging and conducting networking meetings. It is even worse for entry level workers. While there are different levels of networking for entry level workers to the professionals, this service assist individuals/groups in gaining use of outside resources and people to help them to reach their destinations

Interviewing Effectively

Most people do not know how to design a resume, fill out an application, much less interview for a job. Learning effective preparation and interviewing skills is crucial.  People will be interacting with a variety of people in many different settings throughout your career transition. It is obviously imperative that individuals present themselves effectively in order to maximize the impact you make on others.

E-Communitiesfirst - Computer Skills and the Internet

The Urban League is a Wachovia e-communities provider. While LITES will not offer extended classes on computer applications, both individual and group "user friendly" sessions can be offered on basic computer hardware and software use to help individuals become familiar with using the computer to assist them in their career goals and job search. Moreover, understanding the dynamics of how to use the Internet for posting your resume, job search and researching companies can be a valuable tool towards self-sufficiency as well. Components of this can be Introduction to PCs, PC Operating Basics, Introduction to the Internet and Internet email, & Introduction to Internet Research

Money Smart - Financial and Budget Management

Crucial to individual's life success is managing money. Many individuals are on the brink of financial disaster. There are often no easy answers. As part of the case management approach financial and budgetary matters must be assessed and discussed. The intent here is to provide basic assistance and clarification on money matters and not serve as a financial planner or manager of a financial crisis. Referrals and linkage with consumer credit and individual financial professionals would be planned. However, we can offer special counseling and/or group sessions on the following basic components for: Bank on It, Borrowing Basics, Check it out, Money Matters, Pay Yourself First, Keep It Safe, to Your Credit, Charge it Right, Loan to Own, and Your Own Home.

Program is open to residents of North Mecklenburg and South Iredell Counties.