THESE COMPUTER INTEGRATED
MACHINING STUDENTS AT GUILFORD
TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE ARE
BUSY LEARNING SKILLS THEY HOPE
WILL LEAD TO PROMISING CAREERS.
THEY'RE JUST SOME OF THE
STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN GTCC'S
QUICK CAREERS TRAINING.
>> QUICK CAREERS TRAINING IS A
SHORT-TERM, UH, OCCUPY -- EXCUSE
ME -- OCCUPATION SPECIFIC
TRAINING TO HELP FOLKS GET BACK
INTO THE JOB MARKET.
UM, IT STARTED IN 2004 WHEN THE
TRIAD HAD AN INFLUX OF PEOPLE
WHO HAD LOST THEIR JOBS IN
TEXTILES AND FURNITURE.
UM, WE RESPONDED TO THAT NEED
AND STARTED QUICK JOBS WITH A
FUTURE.
UH, AT THAT TIME, WE MODELED IT
AFTER THE GREENVILLE, UM,
TECHNICAL COLLEGE IN SOUTH
CAROLINA.
SINCE THAT TIME, WE'VE CHANGED
THE NAME JUST LAST YEAR TO QUICK
CAREERS TRAINING.
IT'S ALL ENTRY LEVEL FOR FOLKS
THAT ARE MAYBE CHANGING CAREERS
OR NEED TO RAMP UP THEIR SKILLS
TO, UM, ENHANCE THEIR CURRENT
CAREER.
WE HAVE, UM, ROUGHLY TWO DOZEN
COURSES TO CHOOSE FROM.
EACH SEMESTER WE'LL CHOOSE, UM,
ABOUT A DOZEN OF THOSE COURSES,
AND WE BASE IT ON THE NEEDS IN
THE MARKET.
I'M ACTUALLY ABLE TO LOOK AT,
UM, EMPLOYMENT LISTINGS IN THE
PAPER.
I NEED TO DO THAT TO STAY
ABREAST OF WHAT IS, UM,
CURRENTLY NEEDED.
WE ALSO READ THE BUSINESS
JOURNALS AND TALK WITH THE FOLKS
AT THE WORKFORCE, UM,
DEVELOPMENT CAREER CENTERS TO
KNOW WHERE THE NEEDS ARE FOR
FOLKS COMING IN WITH
UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS SO WE CAN
ADDRESS THOSE NEEDS AND HELP
THEM GET NEW TRAINING.
>> EBERLE SAYS QUICK CAREERS
TRAINING DRAWS STUDENTS FROM ALL
AGES AND BACKGROUNDS.
>> WE MAY HAVE A
20-SOMETHING-YEAR-OLD STUDENT.
WE MAY EVEN HAVE SOMEONE UP TO
70 OR 80 YEARS OLD.
BUT OUR TYPICAL, UM, STUDENT IS
IN THEIR 40s TO 50s.
THEY'RE, UM, FOLKS THAT HAVE
BEEN LAID OFF FROM AN INDUSTRY
THAT HAS LEFT THE AREA OR PEOPLE
THAT, UM, MAYBE HAVE BEEN
STAY-AT-HOME MOMS OR PEOPLE %
WANTING TO CHANGE CAREERS OR GET
INTO THE WORKFORCE.
UM, SO VERY NONTRADITIONAL
STUDENTS LOOKING FOR A CHANGE,
LOOKING FOR SOMETHING BETTER
THAN A MINIMUM WAGE JOB.
>> I WAS, UH, LOOKING FOR BETTER
EMPLOYMENT, UH, THROUGH A JOB
LINKS, UH, PROGRAM THAT WAS HERE
IN THE COUNTY.
AND, UH, ONE OF THE COUNSELORS
THAT I WAS MEETING WITH, UH,
SUGGESTED WITH MY, UM,
MECHANICAL APTITUDE THAT I MIGHT
LOOK INTO THE CNC MACHINING
PROGRAM.
>> I WAS ACTUALLY ON MATERNITY
LEAVE WORKING PART-TIME AT A
MECHANIC SHOP ONE DAY A WEEK,
AND ONE DAY IT WAS 3:00 IN THE
MORNING, AND I DECIDED, YOU
KNOW, I REALLY DON'T WANT TO GO
TO WORK TOMORROW.
SO AT 3:00 IN THE MORNING, I
STARTED -- JUST WENT ONLINTO,
LIKE, GTCC THINKING ABOUT GOING
BACK TO SCHOOL, AND I STUMBLED
UPON THE CNC MACHINING PROGRAM.
>> NOT ONLY DO STUDENTS IN QUICK
CAREERS TRAINING LEARN VALUABLE
JOB SKILLS, THEY ALSO GET
ASSISTANCE IN HELPING THEM
PREPARE FOR A JOB SEARCH.
>> THEY ARE RECEIVING
EMPLOYABILITY TRAINING WHILE
THEY'RE WITH US, SO WE'RE
GETTING THEM READY TOWARDS THE
END OF THEIR PROGRAM TO
INTERVIEW AND GET THEIR RÉSUMÉ
PREPPED.
SO I THINK THAT COMPONENT IS
REALLY HELPING WHEN THEY LEAVE
TO BE ABLE TO LAND A JOB VERY
QUICKLY.
>> THAT WAS THE CASE WITH ANGELA
BURFORD, WHO PARTICIPATED IN
GTCC'S QUICK CAREERS TRAINING
AND WAS ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY
LAND A POSITION AS A CALL CENTER
AGENT WITH THE NORTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE.
BURFORD SAYS HER EXPERIENCE IN
THE QUICK CAREERS TRAINING
COURSE HELPED HER FEEL PREPARED
FOR THE WORKPLACE.
>> THE PROFESSOR, HE HAD OVER 17
YEARS OF CUSTOMER SERVICE
EXPERIENCE.
SO HE CAME IN, TRIED TO GIVE US,
YOU KNOW, ALL THE INFORMATION
THAT HE COULD, YOU KNOW, ABOUT
WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO WORK IN A
CALL CENTER AND SO FORTH.
THEY HELPED WITH RÉSUMÉS.
THEY HELPED WITH THE INTERVIEW
PROCESS.
AND SO IT JUST -- IT GAVE YOU
WHAT YOU NEEDED IN ORDER TO AT
LEAST INTERVIEW AND MAKE A GOOD
PRESENTATION.
AND SO WHEN I GOT ON THAT PHONE
AND I GOT THAT FIRST CALL, YOU
KNOW, I WAS CONFIDENT.
I COULD HANDLE IT.
>> ON AVERAGE, ABOUT 300
STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN QUICK
CAREERS TRAINING AT GTCC EACH
SEMESTER.
>> IT'S CRITICAL, UM, I BELIEVE,
BECAUSE THERE -- THE
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IS STILL VERY
HIGH IN THE AREA, AND PEOPLE
NEED SOME SORT OF TRAINING TO BE
ABLE TO BE MARKETABLE IN THE
AREA.
I THINK IT'S A GREAT PROGRAM,
TOO, JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE
TO DO THE ONE-YEAR OR TWO-YEAR
COLLEGE.
YOU KNOW, IF SOMEONE KNOWS WHAT
THEY WANT TO DO, THEY CAN COME
IN QUICKLY, GET THE SKILLS THEY
NEED, GET THE FOUNDATION, AND BE
READY TO GO OUT AND GET THAT NEW
CAREER.
>> AND STUDENTS ENROLLED IN
QUICK CAREERS TRAINING COURSES
SAY THE SUPPORTIVE INSTRUCTORS
AND THE STRUCTURE OF THE PROGRAM
HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY VALUABLE.
>> I THINK IT'S GREAT.
I -- I HAVE LEARNED A LOT.
UM, IT IS -- IT'S VERY
INTRIGUING.
IT HAS KEPT ME, UH, IN SUSPENSE
AND TAUGHT ME THINGS I NEVER
THOUGHT THAT I WOULD KNOW HOW TO
DO.
>> ALL THE INSTRUCTORS HERE ARE
WONDERFUL.
IF I HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR
DOUBTS, THEY ANSWER THEM ALL.
THEY'RE ALWAYS HERE SUPPORTING
US.
FOR SOMEONE LIKE ME, I CANNOT
AFFORD TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL FOR
TWO, THREE YEARS.
SO THIS QUICK CAREERS, IT'S A
VERY SHORT SCHEDULE.
IT'S JUST A YEAR.
AND IT'S NOT EVEN EVERY DAY.
IF YOU'D LIKE TO WORK, YOU CAN
ALSO DO THAT.
YOU CAN FIND A PART-TIME JOB
WHILE YOU STUDY.
I THINK IT'S A WONDERFUL
OPPORTUNITY.
AS LONG AS YOU DEDICATE YOURSELF
AND YOU PAY ATTENTION, YOU CAN
DO -- YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL IN
THIS PROGRAM.
