By Holly Desrosier
Craven Community College (Craven CC) is now offering training at the Volt Center to help fill immediate job openings at BSH Home Appliances Corporation. Offered through a partnership with Craven CC, NCWorks and BSH, this free training opportunity began July 9-10.
This program mimics the college’s existing Manufacturing Career Pathway program but focuses on training students for the specific job duties needed for a position at BSH.
“The Manufacturing Career Pathway program at the Volt Center offers flexible learning opportunities that can get you on the fast track to a new career in manufacturing,” said Eddie Foster, executive director of the Volt Center. “We are here to provide students with training that helps them get rewarding jobs, and this partnership is the perfect fit for all of that.”
BSH is currently looking for long-term, career-minded individuals to meet immediate openings for assembly, packing, production, material handling and other areas of operations. This fast-track partnership program provides training that prepares students to interview with and potentially work for BSH, one of the most premiere manufacturers of home appliances in the world.
Training topics include Intro to Manufacturing, Forklift Operator Training, Assembly Line Operations (Practicals), Safety Training, Workplace Ethics, Working as a Team, Resume Development, Assembly and Packaging, and Training and Interviews. This 16-hour class will continue to run every Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. until the immediate employment needs at BSH have been met. All students who successfully complete the program will have the opportunity to interview for a position at BSH.
“The college is proud to partner with these industry leaders to offer such an incredible opportunity,” added Foster. “It allows us to fully carry out our mission of sufficiently training our students to be successful in the workforce.”
The program is providing a much-needed chance for individuals to develop skills, begin a new career or enhance a current career. For students like Robert Powe, it’s also providing a second chance. Powe recently moved to the area, and this program was an opportunity of a lifetime.
“I really got interested when I heard it was only two days,” he said. “I’d never heard of a program being two days of training and a guaranteed interview for a job. It made me want to take a chance at it. My goal is to find a job, and if I can find a career with one of these companies, then that would be fine for me.”
Powe, who had been incarcerated in Detroit and recently got out of prison, now lives with his brother, a retired Marine. He relocated to start a new chapter in his life and believes completing this program will be the first step.
“I just moved down here to North Carolina,” he said. “I’ve been here a month and getting this opportunity to make a change and make a difference for myself. It’s a good program. I’m glad I’m here, and I’m glad I made the decision to come here.”
For more information on the program, contact Foster at 252-638-3919 or fostere@cravencc.edu. To register, contact Cat Johnson at 252-633-0857 or johnsonc@cravencc.edu.
This article was originally published in the New Bern Sun Journal on July 14, 2020.