Wake Technical Community College announces six new training programs designed to put people back to work in short order. The new programs, which offer focused training in health care, office occupations, building trades, customer service, and biotechnology, can be completed in six months or less. They are part of the statewide JobsNOW initiative, an economic recovery plan to create new jobs and reduce unemployment.

As part of the JobsNOW initiative, Wake Tech will offer the following training programs: •Certified Nursing Assistant: The CNA program focuses on basic nursing skills for providing care to patients in a variety of health care settings. Classes cover communication, safety, patients’ rights, mental health, emergency care, and more.

•Medical Healthcare Office Occupation: This program provides competencies in medical terminology, billing and diagnostic coding processes, and health insurance, among others, for work in the medical office setting.

•Office Assistant: Keyboarding, software applications, spreadsheets, and database management are all part of work in the office setting. This program also gets workers up to speed on presentations, basic bookkeeping, and Internet communications and research - as well as basic Spanish language for the workplace.

•Hospitality: Customer service is an ever-expandng industry, and this program provides training for workers at all levels, from line employees to group leaders and supervisors. Those already employed in the field can gain skills to advance to managerial positions.

•HVAC/Plumbing: This training in fundamentals of the home-building trade covers condensors, compressors and other components of heating and air conditioning as well as instruction in plumbing basics.

• BioWork: The BioWork program equips students for entry-level employment as process technicians - essential players in the booming biotechnology, pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturing industries. “Wake Tech is very excited to offer these new training options and we have no doubt they can help workers get back in the game,” says Wake Tech President Dr. Stephen Scott. “Although short-term in format, these programs are not at all short on the skills and knowledge they deliver. They’re a perfect fit for students and workers seeking rewarding careers in high-demand fields.”

The new short-term programs begin at Wake Tech this fall; they will be offered several times over the next 18 months. Those interested can register at http://conted.waketech.edu.

The programs are supported by $250,000 in federal recovery funds, administered through the North Carolina Community College System and the North Carolina Department of Commerce, Division of Workforce Development. In addition to administrative costs, the federal funds will help unemployed workers with the cost of the training.

The Capital Area Workforce Development Board has set up a hotline to help potential students determine if they are eligible for financial assistance. That number is (919) 856-6043. Applicants seeking financial assistance should contact the Capital Area Workforce Development Board before registering for classes.