Operation Liberty Hill recently opened the New Beginnings Education Center, which offers vocational education courses for people in the community.
Operation Liberty Hill Manager Lynn Gilliam said the program is open to all community members looking to further their education.
“[We want to provide] multifold opportunities for our clients, as well as the community,” Gilliam said. “Our goal is to make it a place where people who are looking for jobs can come here, and we’re going to have a database with stores in Liberty Hill with links.”
At the Operation Liberty Hill facility, there are rooms with computers and supplies needed to fill out job applications and get a jumpstart in a new career.
“They can go on the computers that we have, and they can click on the links which will bring them right over to the business that they’re interested in,” Gilliam said. “We’ll have it staffed with a volunteer who is trained to help people fill out the application.”
One of Gilliam’s roles in the program is providing a course on becoming a special education paraprofessional in Liberty Hill Independent School District. Community members can sign up for Gilliam’s short course to learn about the profession, as well as complete a mock interview to prepare them for interviewing with the district.
“[I’ve] seen the notebooks that Lynn put together and all the different parts, and I was very impressed with all the time she put into this,” mock interviewer Margaret Kibbe said. “I feel like I’m just a little bitty part in this, and I just think it was a real blessing for her to do this.”
The next paraprofessional course will be held in December.
Gilliam said she is hopeful that Operation Liberty Hill will soon be able to add other vocational education programs, as well as ESL and GED courses. She also said she’d like to partner with Austin Community College in the future.
The New Beginnings Education Center can also help people learn how to build resumes, fill out job applications and achieve success in whatever goals they strive to accomplish.
“I was trying to think of a way where we can help our clients and the community,” Gilliam said. “I think the most important thing is for people to know there are opportunities out there for them.”
For more information, visit Operation Liberty Hill on Facebook or visit their website at operationlh.org.