Special to the Journal

Out of a job? You can train for a new one in six months or less through Richmond Community College’s JobsNOW “12 in 6” Project. The 12 programs range from Phlebotomy to Electrical Wiring.

RCC Vice President for Continuing Education Richard Garrett said this is the most direct impact of President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus package on the citizens of Richmond County he has seen. Gov. Beverly Perdue has made it a primary initiative in her plan to get people back into the workforce and to turn around the State’s economy.

“The primary goal of this program is to provide people the opportunity to gain skills in six months and to find work,” Garrett said. “Our department has worked closely with the Richmond County ESC JobLink Career Center and the Pee Dee Region Workforce Development Board to select courses that best meet the needs of our community. Because our Continuing Education Department can quickly respond to projects like this and provide a high quality of instruction, we’re ready to begin our first courses in August.”

The 12 courses offered in Richmond County are Nursing Assistant I & II, Phlebotomy, Healthcare Billing/Coding, Industrial Systems Technology, Early Childhood Education, Masonry, Plumbing, Carpentry, Welding, Electrical Wiring, and Food Service/Hospitality. Garrett said Landscaping and Medical Assisting will be offered in Scotland County for parties interested in those fields.

ESC manager Judy Carpenter said she is excited about the

program.

“In today’s world, you lose your job, you go back to school, learn some skills, make yourself more marketable, and go out and get another job,” Carpenter said. “I was asked to help review possible courses and we tried to select those that are most valuable to our clientele. The short timeframe of six months gets people back into the workforce faster. We’re going to prescreen all of our interested clients to determine whether they may be eligible for assistance in paying tuition.”

Garrett said RCC’s program is unique in that it adds employability skills courses that assist participants with resume writing and with job seeking and job keeping skills. Participants are also required to take the WorkKeys exam to earn a Career Readiness

Certificate, which is rapidly becoming a requirement for many jobs being advertised today. Wherever applicable, green technology is being incorporated into classroom instruction.

“We’re taking the program a step further by adding an entrepreneurship component where interested participants can go through the steps necessary to successfully start and run their own businesses. It’s easy to see how someone completing the Food Service and Hospitality course could start a catering business,” he said.

Another perk of the appropriation funds is the establishment of new programs at RCC that will remain viable long after the funds run out. The funds pay for the start-up costs of purchasing equipment, the most expensive element in creating a new program.

“It’s a win-win situation that will benefit our service area for years to come,” said Garrett.

For more information call 410-1700 or 276-3331 or visit www.richmondcc.edu.