New MTCC program is fast track to jobs

Responding to public interest in short-term training programs in high-demand job areas , McDowell Technical Community College has announced four job-training programs approved to be part of Gov. Bev Perdue's JobsNOW initiative.
Beginning Oct. 19, MTCC will offer training programs in four key job areas where demand for new workers appears to remain strong throughout McDowell County and surrounding areas: Certified Nursing Assistant, Medical Coding, Machining Technology, and Welding Technology.
"When we talk to employers, they tell us to keep sending them workers in these areas," said Shirley Brown, vice-president of Learning and Student Services at McDowell Tech. "More importantly, each of these programs can be completed in six months, a key requirement of Gov. Perdue's '12 In 6' program.
"By offering job pathways that are approved through this initiative," added Brown, "individuals being served by our JobLink Career Center who are unemployed and meet certain criteria may be eligible for tuition assistance to complete one of these training programs."
Registration for the program has already begun at the college's new JobLink Career Center at 316 Baldwin Avenue, former home of the Marion Mills Office Building, now known as the Ford Miller Employment and Training Complex.
"Gale Oliver, our JobsNOW Assistant, is available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday, at the JobLink site to talk to people who need training or retraining in one of these career paths," Brown stated. Interested individuals may also call Oliver at 659-6001 during these hours, or speak with one of the other JobLink employees.
Each of the four career paths in the governor's JobsNOW inititiave are not only high-demand jobs, said Brown, "They are also jobs that tend to pay well. Each of these jobs pays, on average, $18,000-20,000 per year or more, with machining and welding paying much more than that, in many cases."
In addition, students who complete the JobsNow programs in Medical Coding, Machining Technology and Welding Technology have an opportunity to continue their education at McDowell Tech, where they may complete diploma or associate degrees in Health Information Technology, Machining Technology and Welding Technology. Nursing Assistant students may also continue their education by applying for admission to higher level health programs. Financial aid for those choosing to continue their education beyond the JobsNOW program is dependent upon analysis of the standard college financial aid application.
Funding for the JobsNOW "12 in 6" project was made available by the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 and administered through the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the Workforce Development Board and the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS).
Brown also encourages folks who are unemployed to consider taking Career Readiness Certification classes and WorkKeys testing through the Human Resources Development Program, also located in the Ford Miller Employment and Training Complex. Those who satisfactorily complete the WorkKeys testing earn a CRC certificate and are "certified" to employers as having certain types of skill training that employers are looking for when filling particular job openings. Career Readiness Certification tells an employer how well a student has performed on tests for applied math, reading for information and locating information.
"Employers will often call us and say, 'Send us 3 or 4 good candidates who have level 4 certification,' for example," said Jeannie Edwards, Director of Human Resources Development. "They don't have to worry about testing the candidates we send them, because we've done that for them."
This is a time and cost savings for local employers and many former students recognize that having this certification made the difference between getting an interview and subsequent job offer from an employer, and not getting one.