By Holly Desrosier
While the campuses of Craven Community College (Craven CC) remain closed, several classes and programs under the Workforce Development (WFD) department are now back in session. There are many upcoming courses for which students can now register.
The college is taking many steps to make sure the learning environment is as safe as possible for students and instructors. Social distancing will be observed, and the number of students will depend on the size of the classroom. Students may also opt to wear a face mask and will be asked to go home if they are not feeling well.
“The college has purchased ionizing/atomizing machines and will decontaminate classrooms after the end of classes each day,” said Robin Matthews, dean of workforce development. “The safety and wellbeing of our instructional staff and students is at the forefront of running any class.”
Many businesses were severely impacted by the pandemic, forcing several to close and leaving countless employees jobless. The college’s WFD department has implemented many programs that offer state or national certifications for anyone who is having to seek another career.
“Whether at the Havelock Campus, the Volt Center or the New Bern campus, we are offering courses that give people new opportunities and new hope,” said Matthews.
There are many short-term and cost-effective programs and certifications that lead to promising careers and job opportunities in the medical field, such as Certified Nursing Assistant, EKG/Cardiography, Phlebotomy, Pharmacy Technician, Emergency Medical Technician and Veterinary Technician. Other prominent programs include Motorcycle Safety, Notary Public, Barbering, Real Estate, Basic Law Enforcement Training and CDL/Truck Driver Training.
Several programs on the Havelock campus are designed with military students in mind, such as Advanced Manufacturing Tools for Veterans, Military Academic Skills Program, Aviation Sheet Metal and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.
The Volt Center, Craven CC’s campus dedicated to trades programs, has numerous programs scheduled to start that include Welding, Commercial Cleaning, Carpentry, Electrical, Forklift, Plumbing, Small Engine Repair, ServSafe and Environmental Safety.
The college also offers hundreds of Ed2Go courses, which are instructor-facilitated online classes that are informative, highly interactive and can be completed from the comfort of the student’s home. Current offerings include Computer Skills for the Workplace, Creating Web Pages, Medical Office Skills, Employee Development, Leadership Development and languages including French and Italian.
“Whether in health programs, trades, truck driving, aviation maintenance, barbering or simply learning how to repackage yourself in the current job market through our Human Resources classes, we are here to help people get on their feet and enter the job market,” said Matthews. “We also work in conjunction with our local manufacturers by offering a Manufacturing Career Pathway course in which we prepare students for work with our local manufacturers.”
The college’s Human Resources programs assist with preparation for job searches. This includes assistance with cover letter and resume writing, interviewing and employability skills, and discovering which career field is best suited to each participant.
“Additionally, those jobs that are in the logistics arena (CDL, aviation, etc.) have been impacted, and people are needed to keep goods flowing across the country,” said Matthews. “So, Craven Community College Workforce Development is ready to assist people whose lives have been impacted by COVID-19.”
For more information or to register for a WFD class, call 252-638-7248 or email WFDinfo@cravencc.edu. For those interested in a trades program at the Volt Center, contact Cat Johnson at johnsonc@cravencc.edu. Craven CC Ed2Go courses may be accessed and registered for at Ed2Go.com/CravenCC.
This article was originally published in the New Bern Sun Journal on June 10, 2020.