WCC plans
workforce
training
By JULE HUBBARD
Staff
Rapid and practical training
for occupations perceived as
having strong growth potential
in Alleghany, Ashe and Wilkes
counties is the goal of a new initiative
with a $300,000 budget at
Wilkes Community College.
It's part of Gov. Bev Perdue's
"12 in 6" program to provide
training in 12 careers at the community
colleges, each requiring
six months or less to complete.
The statewide effort is funded
with $13.4 million in federal
economic recovery money.
This includes $300,000 for
WCC, mostly for salaries and
benefits of additional staff for
nine new courses at the college
focusing on the targeted careers.
It's also for supplies and other
related expenses.
Calvin Dull, WCC vice president
of continuing education,
said approval of WCC's "12 in
6" plan is expected any day now.
Except for a truck driving
school, which is under way, the
new classes start this August or
September.
Dull said the professions targeted
with the courses resulted
from a cooperative effort
between WCC, High Country
Workforce Development Board,
N.C. Employment Security
Commission and other JobLink
Career Center partners.
"We're excited this stimulus
money is here and is giving us a
resource we didn't have for short
term training for people who are
unemployed or underemployed
that hopefully will lead to jobs,"
he said.
He said changes could be
made if necessary to better prepare
people for potential new
jobs.
Two of the nine courses
expand WCC's nursing assistant
program. This includes providing
certified nursing assistant II
certification and geriatric aide
programs. "Nurse aide level I"
and "nurse aide level II" are
both 192-hour courses.
Two other new courses are
"carpentry apprentice" and
"green construction." The first
one, a 144-hour course, focuses
on basic carpentry techniques
and includes an emphasis on
energy management and weatherization.
The second, a 1,125-
hour course, focuses on building
sustainable houses or small
buildings.
Another of the courses provides
certification as a manufacturing
technician, with a focus
on industrial certification. This
115-hour course provides fundamental
training in manufacturing
concepts, measurements and
math, teamwork, communication
and problem solving.
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