| By Sydney Fairman |
City Mission, a local non-profit dedicated to helping restore independent living to the homeless, has partnered with Citizens Library to help their residents gain career insight and professional skills. One of the aspects driving the partnership is Gale Courses. Offered at Citizen’s Library, Gale Courses gives community members free, easy access to lifelong learning opportunities including professional development, technology and personal enrichment courses.
Covering a wide range of topics — from accounting to writing and publishing to teaching, technology and healthcare — Gale Courses positions the library to drive local economic development and meet demand for the top workplace skills.
“We’ve had 14 certifications through Gale courses for our residents in the last three months,” City Mission Director of Career Training and Education Steve Nicholas said. “This is something that builds resumes and builds focus. It’s been awesome.”
Read below for what City Mission staff and residents are saying about the power of Gale Courses:
“I started taking the courses to keep my mind engaged and focused while I’m preparing to transition back into college. And I’ve also been able to gain some certifications I can put on a resume.”
– Ryan McElhaney, current City Mission resident
“By the second lesson, I was already implementing my new skills into my work. The course really helped me understand the logic behind the system. I highly recommend Gale courses to any staff person. I’m already seeing applications in my everyday work.”
– Brianna Kadlecik, Vocational Assistant
Learn more about offering patrons more than 300 online courses with Gale Courses >>
BANNER IMAGE: The Washington County Observer-Reporter. Steve Nicholas, left, City Mission Director of Career Training encourages residents to use Citizens Library’s resources, including free online Gale courses. Brianna Kadlecik, right, City Mission’s vocational assistant, has taken courses that have helped her in her job. Air Jordan