FOLEY - The South Baldwin Literacy Council (SBLC) is growing its services and has announced many new exciting and free programs that will be offered to the community. These programs are designed for all ages, from schoolchildren to career seekers.

On Sept. 16 the SBLC will launch a workforce development program called Learn to Earn. This free event kicks off with a Resume Building and Interview Skills workshop going from 6:30 - 8 p.m. A morning program will be held on Sept. 17 from 8:30 - 10 a.m.

The classes will include everything from balancing home/work life, transportation solutions, public speaking, computer skills, building confidence, deciphering job descriptions, networking, ethics and professionalism, financial success, social media awareness, and much more.

“We have free one-on-one sessions available for 27 different employment skills, and want to help Baldwin County community members get their dream career,” said Mitchell Lee, executive director of SBLC. “We want to offer these services to businesses who have employees who would like to get additional skills and training and community members who are looking to find employment so they can make a better life for themselves and their families.”

All sessions are free and available now.

Another recent launch was the SBLC’s ESL class. Beginning level English classes are held at 8:30 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, and Intermediate level classes are held 10 a.m. - noon on Mondays and Wednesdays. Evening classes are available this semester, with a multilevel class Thursdays from 6 - 8 p.m. One-on-one sessions are available for anyone who cannot make it to class. All classes and books are free.

The SBLC’s GED program has doubled in growth and now has over 30 students using the SBLC building to study for the GED test.

Local youth can also enjoy one-on-one tutoring for free. The SBLC offers two youth tutoring programs for students in both virtual and brick-and-mortar schools. Tutoring lasts for one hour and gives students time to work on reading, phonics, decoding, and vocab. Tutoring is being offered one-on-one to keep students and tutors safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There are free educational services available during COVID as education services are needed the most right now,” Lee said. “We have built partitions, have UV air light filters, masks and hand sanitizer available for all students.”

All classes take place at the South Baldwin Literacy Council, located at 21441 US-98, Foley. For more information and to see what all the SBLC has to offer, call 251-943-7323, check out the website at www.southbaldwinliteracycouncil.com or follow the Literacy Council on Facebook: @southbaldwinliteracycouncil.