Jobs in Durham NC Get Federal Funds for Training
A new round of training courses will help prepare students for jobs in Durham NC.
Durham Technical Community College recently launched JobsNOW, a series of short-term training programs designed to meet local employer needs. The program is funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
JobsNOW will offer training sessions throughout nine separate areas. The sessions are designed to be completed within six months or less and are intended to get students into the workforce quickly.
“Shorter term training seems to be the key to getting retooled and allowing people to begin new careers,” JobsNOW Program Coordinator Kelly King told The Herald-Sun. “This is for people who need to find work faster, and need to find the type of training that will accommodate their schedules.”
Durham Tech began offering JobsNOW programs during the fall of 2009. The sessions have since proved popular, with a training course in phlebotomy filling in only 20 minutes.
A total of 138 students have enrolled in various courses so far, and of the students involved in courses that have already been completed, more than 50 percent have already found jobs.
Some of the new training sessions available include auto detailing, biomanufacturing process technician, and emergency medical technician basic training. Second editions of fall courses also will be offered.
Durham Tech was able to offer the new round of JobsNOW programs after it received $84,600 in unused federal stimulus funding from the state community college system. The funding had been designated for other community colleges to offer JobsNOW programs, but those schools were unable to offer those programs.
“We had to get moving very quickly,” King said. “We’ve had just over a month to apply for the money, decide what we wanted to do, establish all our programs, find instructors and open for registration. It’s been very busy.”
