Registration Open for LIFT Job Skills Training Program

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Veterans and other adults, as well as teens, are encouraged to register for free job skills and financial literacy training via UA’s business school.

Culverhouse LIFT, or Learning Initiative and Financial Training, will begin classes for its fall term Monday, Sept. 9. Registration for fall 2019 is open until 5 p.m. that day.

More information about Culverhouse LIFT can be found on its website at lift.culverhouse.ua.edu.

Sponsored by the Culverhouse College of Business and the Culverhouse accounting department, LIFT provides free job skills and financial literacy training to participants in West Alabama communities. Sessions include: computer skills, bookkeeping, GED classes and professional development.

Created in 2014, LIFT uses student volunteers from within the business college to work one-on-one with community participants in a classroom setting. The program is student-run with over 350 class leaders and volunteers. Students are able to take what they learn in the classroom, such as management skills and critical thinking, and apply it to the training sessions.

“It’s a one-on-one tutoring relationship between the student and the participant,” said Lisa McKinney, a Culverhouse lecturer who is a certified public accountant. “Because it’s so intimate, the speed of learning is astronomically high, as opposed to a regular class, because every minute is for you.”

“Year after year, we’ve been able to grow LIFT into a critical resource for area residents to gain valuable job and personal finance skills,” she said. “Through the experiential learning component of LIFT, our student volunteers learn how to become compassionate and effective business leaders, a capability that will serve them well once they graduate and start their careers.”

Culverhouse LIFT operates in nearby Alabama towns and cities such as Greensboro and Birmingham, high schools and housing communities in the Tuscaloosa area, as well as the regional VA Medical Center. There are two sessions a year within the program: fall and spring. During each session, participants and student volunteers meet for nine weeks for 75 minutes per class.

Two years ago, the program started operations at the Bibb Correctional Facility in Brent. At the facility, inmates who are about to be released learn how to use computers, answer interview questions and create resumes.

To get involved, contact Lisa McKinney at lmckinne@culverhouse.ua.edu. All donations to LIFT are used to directly benefit community participants, funding resources that include student support, laptops and computer program licenses. The program is also seeking speakers who can share business insights. For information on program support, contact Dr. Rich Houston at rhouston@cba.ua.edu.