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The Allegany College of Maryland (Dan DiPaolo) |
The Allegany College of Maryland's Workforce Development & Continuing Education programs have been ramped up at the Somerset campus after basically scaling back operations in 2010.
"In Somerset, we had one person serving Somerset and Bedford (Counties) in 2010," said Amy Bailey, director of Somerset County Workforce Development.
"The response from the community load and clear was that we really, really, needed people in Somerset serving the people here. And it really seems to have made a difference. We went from in 2010 to almost having nothing running here to double triple the courses."
The center had 438 participants last year.
Now, the program directors are looking to spread the word about the combination of innovative retraining and continuing education courses now being offered though the college and other local partnerships.
"A lot of these classes are high priority occupations as designated by the state," said Wayne Blue, executive director of the Workforce Development Centers for Bedford and Somerset Counties.
"There's going to be a lot of placements in these areas in the future. The health care and industrial (industries) are starting to look for people. They're (workers) leaving jobs, they're retired or they're (businesses) recovered from the economy and picking back up again."
In health care positions are increasing for nurse's aides, in home health aid, lab technicians and in other positions. On the industrial side, companies are looking for welders, CNC (computer-controlled) machinists and HVAC (duct and electrical) specialists, Blue said.
"HVAC, metal workers, all these technical jobs — they're losing people and they're having a hard time filling the positions. Some companies are even afraid to bid on some jobs because they don't have enough workers to meet the deadlines they have to meet," he said.
"Skills are becoming outdated, companies are using computer-controlled systems. It's become a serious world of life-long learning," he said.
Bailey agreed. "There is such a big, big, focus on the disconnect between the jobs that are in this area and the training people have — and the fact the economy is so bad and they're losing jobs and needing retraining. We didn't have to provide those services in 2000," she said.
The college is responding to the need by offering more on-campus classes and online learning programs.
The online learning programs in particular have been increased because they allow people to take the courses at home during their leisure time, Bailey said.
However, the college is well aware that Somerset County doesn't have high-speed Internet options available to all residents.
"We have computer labs on campus, so if someone doesn't have Internet they can use those," Bailey said. "We don't want people to be discouraged."
Certifications can be achieved completely through online classes now (state and national testing is separate) and are available to start anytime, which is a recent development for continuing education programs, Blue said. Those programs include Pharmacy Technician, Medical Administrative Assistant, Dialysis Technician and Dental Assisting.
For the industrial workers, online courses include Precision Measurements for Machinists, Mastering CNC Lathes and Mastering CNC Machine Centers were added in 2010.
Those courses allow people to actually learn by running computer-simulated machines, Blue said.
Certification-track courses can allow people to complete new job training in six months to a year, Blue said. "Most of them are careers in a year. Some people go faster, it all depends on the individual," he said.
"In Somerset, we had one person serving Somerset and Bedford (Counties) in 2010," said Amy Bailey, director of Somerset County Workforce Development.
"The response from the community load and clear was that we really, really, needed people in Somerset serving the people here. And it really seems to have made a difference. We went from in 2010 to almost having nothing running here to double triple the courses."
The center had 438 participants last year.
Now, the program directors are looking to spread the word about the combination of innovative retraining and continuing education courses now being offered though the college and other local partnerships.
"A lot of these classes are high priority occupations as designated by the state," said Wayne Blue, executive director of the Workforce Development Centers for Bedford and Somerset Counties.
"There's going to be a lot of placements in these areas in the future. The health care and industrial (industries) are starting to look for people. They're (workers) leaving jobs, they're retired or they're (businesses) recovered from the economy and picking back up again."
In health care positions are increasing for nurse's aides, in home health aid, lab technicians and in other positions. On the industrial side, companies are looking for welders, CNC (computer-controlled) machinists and HVAC (duct and electrical) specialists, Blue said.
"HVAC, metal workers, all these technical jobs — they're losing people and they're having a hard time filling the positions. Some companies are even afraid to bid on some jobs because they don't have enough workers to meet the deadlines they have to meet," he said.
"Skills are becoming outdated, companies are using computer-controlled systems. It's become a serious world of life-long learning," he said.
Bailey agreed. "There is such a big, big, focus on the disconnect between the jobs that are in this area and the training people have — and the fact the economy is so bad and they're losing jobs and needing retraining. We didn't have to provide those services in 2000," she said.
The college is responding to the need by offering more on-campus classes and online learning programs.
The online learning programs in particular have been increased because they allow people to take the courses at home during their leisure time, Bailey said.
However, the college is well aware that Somerset County doesn't have high-speed Internet options available to all residents.
"We have computer labs on campus, so if someone doesn't have Internet they can use those," Bailey said. "We don't want people to be discouraged."
Certifications can be achieved completely through online classes now (state and national testing is separate) and are available to start anytime, which is a recent development for continuing education programs, Blue said. Those programs include Pharmacy Technician, Medical Administrative Assistant, Dialysis Technician and Dental Assisting.
For the industrial workers, online courses include Precision Measurements for Machinists, Mastering CNC Lathes and Mastering CNC Machine Centers were added in 2010.
Those courses allow people to actually learn by running computer-simulated machines, Blue said.
Certification-track courses can allow people to complete new job training in six months to a year, Blue said. "Most of them are careers in a year. Some people go faster, it all depends on the individual," he said.
