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Training for high potential jobs planned
by Jule Hubbard
Rapid and practical training for occupations perceived as having strong growth potential in Wilkes, Ashe and Alleghany 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.
The other four courses are:
"photovoltaic (PV) technology," a 115-hour course that provides basic instruction on the fundamentals of converting sunlight into energy with solar cells. The goal is to prepare students for testing by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners and provide them the knowledge for entry level positions with dealers/installers or other photovoltaic industry companies;
"Healthcare billing and coding," a 180-hour course that provides preparation for entry level positions for this work in various areas of the healthcare industry;
"Welding," a 330-hour course that teaches basic welding skills in various areas of this profession;
"Truck driving," a 480-hour course with a focus on making students eligible for state licensure for driving tractor trailers and trucks. Goodwill Industries is assisting.
According to a written plan for new initiative at WCC, the JobLink Career Centers in Wilkes, Ashe and Alleghany counties will play a key role by providing many of the referrals to the new courses and by marketing the effort as part of the state's JobsNOW program.
WCC will partner with Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and Workforce Develop-ment Board personnel for referrals and for providing funds to help students with tuition. Project Skill-Up in Ashe County also will help with tuition.
The Northwest North Carolina Advanced Materials Cluster is providing substantial equipment support for the Certified Manufacturing Tech-nician training, along with support for the costs of the Career Readiness Certificate (CRC) for students not eligible under WIA guidelines and for marketing assistance through its Work Path programs to provide a unified, streamlined process for career seekers in the region.
According to a narrative with the plan, the Wilkes Community College service area (Alleghany, Ashe and Wilkes counties) had jobless rates significantly above the state average in the first quarter of 2009, with over 1,100 jobs lost in the past 18 months. Construction, tourism/service industries and retail trade have been have also been severely impacted by the global economic recession.
In the past decade, over 3,000 positions at over 15 major companies have been lost in the three counties.
"The employment situation is exacerbated by the low education attainment level prevalent within the three-county area; approximately 31 percent of residents age 25 or older lack a high school diploma or GED's. With the majority of available employment opportunities requiring at least some level of postsecondary education or training, it is obvious that there is a need in the region for training programs to fuel the economic recovery," the plan stated.
The northwest region still has a solid industrial base, particularly in advanced manufacturing. Global and national companies in the three counties include GE Aviation, Gates Rubber, Tyson Foods, Louisiana Pacific, Martin Marietta Composite, United Chemi-con, MX Aircraft, Pioneer Eclipse and American Emergency Vehicles.
The increased need for allied health workers, particularly certified nursing assistants and other geriatric aide, is most directly tied to the graying of the population in the region.
The plan said it is projected that northwest North Carolina will be the "oldest" area of the state by 2013, both through the aging of lifelong residents and the number of people who are choosing to retire in this area.
This projected annual rate of growth in these areas is above 3 present. Though the entry level wage for such positions is generally below average, many employees use these jobs for advancement in the medical field.
"Like most areas in the country, the WCC service area has been adversely impacted by the decline in the housing market. However, the decline has been less precipitous than in many other regions and there are growing signs of a rebound in the market," the plan stated. For example, in Ashe County building permits during April 2009 are only down 1.9 percent from April 2008," the plan stated.
"Much of the construction market is driven by the second home and retirement market. Additionally, there is a growing home renovation market that is often tied to energy efficiency." Recent federal legislation that rewards energy efficiency and alternative energy construction has helped develop a market in photovoltaic installation and the area's first "green" subdivision.
As will be noted, each of these areas is directly tied to the high growth/high demand areas identified by the High Country Council of Governmentâ's report. Programs are designed to promote immediate employment and to, hopefully, lead to advancement with further on-the-job training or through further education.
Truck driver training has been identified for a number of years as an area of growth and employment in the region, with numerous students traveling up to 125 miles daily to receive this training.
"One of the primary challenges faced by the college in offering the Certified Manufacturing Technician, PV Installation, Healthcare Billing/ Coding, and Construction/ Energy Management programs is funds to fully develop the curricula and withstand the relatively low enrollment expected in a startup capacity. Though the job market exists and referrals will be made to the programs, it is expected that initial enrollment will be lower than necessary to fully support them in the early stages. The JobsNOW funds will be used for program development, marketing, and early offerings to build momentum for these vital training opportunities."
JobsNOW funds will also be used to build a truck driving program, including some development costs, marketing, and instructional costs.
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