MAIN

PROCESS

VOCATIONAL

PURPOSE

STAFF

PROJECTS

MINISTRY

SMALL BUSINESS

CONTACT/DONATE

REFERENCES

Our Highly Successful Men's and Ladies Program at Metro Jail Barracks in Mobile is producing great results! Our Ladies are spotlighted in our feature pictures this month.

COMPUTER TRAINING UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2008 Mobile Work Release Update Due to space constraints and addition of more officers, our class room at Mobile Work Release was taken for offices and clinic space. We were blessed to be able to conduct numerous classes for 2 years inside Mobile Work Release. All was not lost, however, because the article just below this one describes a new opportunity that opened up shortly after MWR closed to us. We are conducting classes inside Mobile Metro Jail Barracks! In approximately April of 2008, Mobile Metro Jail Barracks opened up for classes two days a week! We now conduct a ladies and men's class, which is a historic first for our Vocational Department! We conduct the full range of IPC series classes, with frequent graduations of students successfully completing the course of study! Curriculum Updates! We are updating our curriculum to improve it, and make it more affective as well. This consists of addition of appropriate references to the new Windows operating system known as Vista, as well as "dressing up" the graphics and personalization to POL of the curriculum. A new Open Enrollment Class at the Lott Road Christian Church training facility! We began an open enrollment class at Lott Road Christian Church recently using laptops for flexibility and mobility. We expect soon, with availability of an instructor, to increase the LRCC computer classes to two sessions per week. Ministry Assistance Program! Another direction of ministry has opened for our computer classes, as well as our vocational training department. We have began with the addition of the open enrollment computer class, a support program for training and equipping other ministries with similar visions as ours. CHAIR Ministries, our ministry partner from Citronelle, Al is working with us putting several of their people through the IPC series of classes. Additionally, other individuals with burdens for ministry are participating as well. This program encompasses training of the other ministry personnel, as well as equipment grants based on availability of the equipment and qualification of the individuals or ministries to receive the recycled equipment for their ministry use. Four Wonderful Years as Partners in Ministry Together with Lott Road Christian Church! As we approach October of 2008, a special date is soon to be arriving. We will be celebrating 4 years with our faithful partner in ministry together, Lott Road Christian Church. They graciously provide the off site training facilities and an office for Promises of Life Institute, the Vocational Training arm of promises of Life ministries on their campus in Eight Mile, Al.

OCTOBER 2006 Since the beginning of the year, marvelous things have been happening. We have set up a full lab (server and 9 workstations) at The Community Based Facility Mobile Work Release at I65 and Hwy. 45 in the Prichard, Al, area. We have 2 instructors in addition to our Training Director teaching classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the morning as well as Tuesday night. We have numerous graduates of three, yes that is right, 3 curriculums, Introduction to Personal Computing IPC 100, Introduction to Word Processing, IPC 101, and Introduction to Spreadsheets, IPC 102. Lesson plan development is complete on IPC 100 and IPC 101 with 2 inch binders with well over 150 pages generated for each instructor. Complete quiz and lab assignments along with an organized record keeping program is fully in progress. This is outcome based, professionally written and conducted training on par with, or better than any secular program on the outside. To make this even better, the Lord is our focus in all this. Assignments that use skills, relate to God and His Word as the way to succeed when the client is released: For example. we require 3 letters and a resume to be created by each client (inmate student) as a part of the Word Processing class. Each letter allows the client to develop a block and modified block style letter as they were taught to do in class sessions. The letters are designed to bring Word Processor skills into use, as well as life skills and planning for the future. Each client must state goals as part of one of his exercises to use "bullet points" in the Word Processor. But doing so is more than just mechanical. Each client is encouraged to place God first in his plans he lists to succeed when he is released. In the Spreadsheet Class, each client must develop a mock check register: Each client must utilize basic spreadsheet skills and develop a functional spreadsheet for a fictitious check register as well as developing an invoice template for his fictitious business. OCTOBER 2004 In October of 2004 we began our Basic Windows Navigation Training we have named Introduction to Personal Computing, IPC 100. This is an outcome-based, lab and classroom training program. It is designed to give our clients computer skills needed to secure jobs in automotive repair, warehousing, shipping, receiving or any number of modern jobs requiring basic computer skills. The average run of IPC 100 Class is 12 weeks, 2 hours per week. As of spring 2005, after two initial "trial run sessions", our third session resulted in 9 graduates on May 22nd, 2005 receiving diplomas for successfully completing the curriculum as well as all the lab requirements of the IPC 100 program. Lesson Plans Lesson plans are custom designed for entry level, taking the client through a series of lessons and labs that expose him to all the basic Windows navigation skills needed to navigate the various folders or drives where data he may need for his work is stored. Lab exercises along with lab workstations and one on one assistance is provided to enhance the learning experience. Additional classes are scheduled for 2005/2006. Fall 2005 IPC101-Introduction to Word Processing, 16 weeks, 2 hours per week. (Microsoft Word) Download Syllabus here IPC102-Introduction to Spreadsheets, 16 weeks, 2 hours per week. (Microsoft Excel) Download Syllabus here Winter 2005/Spring 2006 IPC 103-Fundamentals of Computer Setup and Operation. This class will deal with the basic setup and ongoing operation of the client's computer in terms of such operations as setting up an internet connection, setting up email, adding/removing hardware, how to connect keyboard, mouse and other peripherals such as printers to the computer, the Windows Control Panel, introduction to computer hardware as well as other basic configuration items. Spring/Summer 2006 IPC104 Introduction to Online Security. This class delves more into the issues faced by individuals and small businesses that use the internet and exchange email, files and data via disks, flash drives such as jump drives as well as electronically. Concepts such as virus protection, file scanning, firewalls, basic file sharing and home networks are introduced to the clients in a simplified and understandable manner. This class completes the IPC curriculum, as well as acting as the prerequisite for the next level of more advanced classes planned for later in 2006. Those classes will be posted to our site as syllabuses and lesson plans are closer to completion. ©  Promises of Life Ministries,Inc 2005