How to Apply
Welcome and thank you for your interest in the FIT program! We look forward to helping you achieve your employment goals in whatever way we can.
* If you have been convicted of a felony, Orientation for our Re-Entry program is held every Monday at 8:30 am sharp.
Applications can only be submitted by attending an Orientation at the FIT office. It is preferred that appointments for Orientation be made by calling the office during FIT business hours, but if you do not have access to a telephone, you can also get scheduled via walk-in.
However, before making the trip, you may want to read below to make sure that you understand the process, the exact types of services that we are able to offer, and the fact that eligibility for some of our services may vary based on your aptitude, current skills, previous education, previous work history, and other individual circumstances.
Once you have decided that our services are right for you, the next step is to determine whether or not you are eligible for the program. To be eligible, one must:
- Be a Nevada resident
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Have a valid Social Security Number
- Be eligible to work in the United States
- Be in compliance with Selective Service requirements
Below is a matrix that helps to explain the documents that may be used to demonstrate eligibility for each of the categories (the underlined and italicized indicate the most commonly used documents for each category):
Nevada Residency
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Birthdate/Age
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Social Security Number
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Citizenship/Alien Status
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Selective Service Registrant
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In general, our services can be broken down into three major categories:
JOB SEARCH ASSISTANCE SERVICES
These are offered to individuals who either want or need to find employment as quickly as possible. They can also benefit those who are already qualified, based on previous education/training and work history, for the job they want. Please note that we are not a staffing agency and as such we do not have referrals for immediate openings. We do work closely with certain employers and have access to job leads that we forward on a case-by-case basis, but our goal, first and foremost, is to teach the basics of job searching so that an individual has the tools, knowledge, and resources to look for a job on their own.
To that end, we offer the following workshops that are designed to assist those in the job search phase of the program:
Career Exploration Workshop
Before an individual can really put together a viable plan for employment, they must first do some research to both narrow down their focus and start to develop a basic understanding of the labor market(s) they wish to enter or re-enter. In our experiences with job seekers, the least successful are usually those who come to us a) looking for and willing to do “any” job; b) fixated on one very specific job for which there is no labor market, or an extremely limited one; or c) wanting a job that requires education, skills and/or prior work experience beyond their current level and not willing to consider any alternatives or intermediate steps. This week-long workshop is for program participants who need help finding a happy-medium between those extremes. Utilizing assessments to gauge the participant’s interests, workplace values, and aptitude, along with research completed by the participant in order paint a realistic picture of where their best job prospects may lie, the goal of the Career Exploration Workshop is to come away with 2-3 viable occupational goals for which the participant can then access additional FIT services to pursue.
Resume Workshop
Facilitated by a Certified Resume Writing Professional, this one day workshop includes both a lecture and a lab component.
Interviewing Skills Workshop
Fear of the interviewing process is one of the most commonly shared traits of job seekers at all levels – oftentimes with good reason, as the interview is one of the most important factors in determining which candidate will end up being offered the job. Through a combination of presented material and self-assessment (and practice, practice, practice!!! that includes participation in multiple mock interviews) you will be better prepared to face the challenge. By highlighting your experience and marketing your strengths this mock interviewing class is for anyone and everyone.
Job Search Workshop
Individuals in need of – or only interested in – immediate employment services are also strongly encouraged to seek assistance through Nevada JobConnect. For additional information or to find the location closest to you, please click here:
PRE-VOCATIONAL SKILLS TRAININGS
Offered free-of-charge at the FIT office, these trainings are meant to upgrade an individual’s basic skills, in order for them to either become employable for certain entry-level positions, or to act as the first step toward more formal training programs leading to certification or licensure.
- Digital Literacy
- Customer Service
- Medical Terminology
- Intro to Healthcare
VOCATIONAL SKILLS TRAININGS
Vocational Skills Trainings are further broken down into two types:
The first type, Occupational Skills Training, are completed at a 3rd party training site, such as the community college or a vocational trade school. FIT is able to provide full or partial tuition assistance through grant funding (depending on the cost of the training, the financial need of the training participant, and our current funding levels) for the individual to complete the training required. Those who would benefit from Occupational Skills Trainings include:
- Low-skilled individuals with only a high school education or GED
- Individuals in need of a career change due to circumstances beyond their control, such as major changes in the labor market, a recently developed physical limitation, etc.
- Individuals who have been laid off and need additional training/certifications in their current field in order to remain employable or become employable again.
The full list of approved Occupational Skills Training providers and programs can be found here.
Of the trainings listed on the ETPL, here at FIT we focus primarily on the following:
HealthcareCaregiver Gaming/Hospitality |
Clean EnergyHVAC Technician |
ITHelp Desk Support |
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Logistics/WarehouseClass A CDL Others/Category TBDAdministrative Assistant |
For some of the Occupational Skills Trainings, there are certain prerequisites or limitations that may be involved (for example, a candidate for bookkeeper training would need to first have basic computer skills, a candidate for Pharmacy Technician should not have a history of substance abuse problems, etc.); however, those can only be determined after a participant has met with a Case Manager and undergone an Initial Assessment.
The second type of training, On-the-Job Training (or OJT), is completed through an employer via a wage reimbursement contract. In an OJT, an employer agrees to hire an individual and provide training directly. For that, the employer is reimbursed for a certain percentage of the individual’s wages for a fixed number of training hours (the percentage reimbursed and number of training hours are negotiated directly with the employer).
OJTs can be done for virtually any job that is full-time and guarantees an hourly wage (rather than compensation being commission-only or otherwise entirely performance-based), but are dependent on the hiring needs of the employer; therefore FIT cannot guarantee an OJT to any individual or provide a set schedule for when they are offered.
If you you are interested in applying for the program and meet basic eligibility you must attend an orientation.
If you do not have basic computer skills, paper and pen applications will also be made available
We are able to accept 100 applications per month. Once that number is reached, we put a freeze on applications until the 1st of the following month. If it is toward the end of the month, we encourage you to call our office at (702) 367-4348 to find out if we are still accepting applications before you come in.
Upon establishment of eligibility and acceptance into the program, you will then undergo a brief assessment to determine whether you:
- Have identified a specific vocational goal that we can help you pursue; and
- Posses the basic computer skills needed to successfully find employment in the field you have chosen.
If you have not identified a specific job (or related cluster of jobs) that you are interested in, you must do so before we can proceed any further in working with you. The reason we ask this is because we believe strongly that unless a person knows to a reasonable degree what their ultimate goals are, there’s really not much our services can do to help them.
If you really are just interested in “any” job, and truly willing to accept whatever comes along, you would probably be much better served by simply devoting your time to filling out as many job applications as you possibly can and hoping for the best. If you aren’t really sure what you want to do, but would like our assistance in identifying an appropriate goal, we are certainly willing to offer our advice and feedback. You can start by signing up for our Career Exploration Workshop. You are also welcome to do some research on your own. Just a few of the good sites we recommend are:
- Nevada Career Information System (NCIS)
- O*NET
As you think about what it is that you’d like to do for a career, we will also be looking at your current computer skills and whether they match up with what your goals are. Having at least basic computer skills is a prerequisite not only to any of the free classes or workshops we offer here at FIT, but also to the vast majority of the Occupational Skills Training programs we can potentially help pay for at the community college or other training site.
So unless your chosen vocational goal does not absolutely require it (things like caregiving and truck driving may fall into this category), if you do not have basic computer skills, the first step in your Individualized Employment Plan (IEP) will be to complete our free Digital Literacy class.
When it has been determined that you have both a vocational goal identified and the basic computer skills needed to pursue it, you will then go on to work with a Case Manager. For those who enter the FIT program already knowing what they want to do and possessing basic computer skills, that step can be done immediately; for those who don’t, the length of time it takes to get assigned to a Case Manager is entirely dependent on how quickly they can address those deficiencies.
Once assigned to a Case Manager, that person will help you further develop your IEP, which will include potentially undergoing additional knowledge and skill assessments depending on your choice of vocational goals is (for example, if you would like to work as a Bookkeeper, having just basic computer skills isn’t enough; you would need to be proficient in a number of different software programs – some of which may be included as part of the Occupational Skills Training – as well as have an aptitude in certain other areas, such as basic math).
Your Case Manager will also provide information on the schools offering training in your desired field, help you through the process of being awarded funds for that training, then follow up with you for a year following successful completion of training and placement into employment (so please note that as part of your participation in the FIT program, you will have to agree to remain in monthly contact for that period of time and provide information about your new).