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CCCC HRD offers skills for success

11.26.2012 • Continuing Education

SANFORD - Human Resources Development at Central Carolina Community College could be called the best-kept secret in the community. But with all the resources it has to offer, it doesn't need to stay that way.

"HRD is here for our community," said Crystal McIver, HRD coordinator and instructor at CCCC. "We provide the tools for professional development and provide employability skills so that our students are prepared for success. HRD really is an awesome service for employers and for individuals looking for employment right now."

A branch of CCCC's Economic & Community Development Division's Continuing Education Department, HRD shares in the division's dedication to economic and workforce enrichment for the business sector and the community at large.

HRD itself primarily focuses on developing the basic skills needed to be successful in the workplace, with courses specifically designed to meet the needs of the local workforce, including dislocated workers, individuals entering the workforce for the first time, and under-employed workers seeking skill upgrades.

"Through HRD, students receive employment and personal skills to create new beginnings," said McIver. "They are ready and equipped to make things happen for themselves and to reach desired goals."

Student Cynthia Lueck, of Lillington, attests to the effective training provided in the HRD Career Readiness and Pathways course: "The class is helping me re-enter the work field by re-training my thought process and giving me the confidence to go out and find a job."

General HRD course instruction concentrates on fundamental skill-building in areas, including keyboarding; computer proficiency and terminology; resume, cover letter and job interview preparation; effective job searches; e-mail and internet capability; time management and goal setting; credit score training; and communication and conflict resolution.

"The Career Readiness and Pathways course has given me a refresher in computer skills and helped me build a resume and cover letter, which are things I didn't have before this class," said HRD student Angela Barnell, of Sanford. "It has really helped me amazingly."

Some course offerings emphasize employability skills as they directly relate to the office setting and to specific careers. For example, spring courses will provide preparation for work in the fields of direct care, hospitality and welding.

"What we try to do is focus on fast-growing industries and build classes that support those industries," explained McIver, who cited the newly developed Direct Care Basics class as an example. "By staying ahead of what is going on in the economy, we can give individuals what they need to be successful to go out and slide into the jobs that are here and those that are coming."

Not only are courses tailored to fit the needs of students looking to enter the workplace but also to assist local businesses looking to sharpen employee skills and stay current with ever-changing technology.

Custom-designed courses can be created to meet the particular needs of a specific business, McGiver said. HRD can train a company's employees to enhance job skills in an identifiable area and to maneuver new technologies as innovations are introduced into a business climate. Training can be conducted on-site at a business location or at a CCCC campus.

Through HRD, individuals can also earn a Career Readiness Certificate (CRC), a program utilizing the WorkKeys assessments to certify core skills in the areas of Applied Mathematics, Reading for Information and Locating Information. Earners qualify for different levels of certification (platinum, gold, silver or bronze) depending on their assessment scores.

Recognized nationally as proof of specific employability skills, the CRC provides employers, schools, job seekers and community organizations with a common system for building a higher-skilled, higher-paid workforce.

Individuals seeking to brush up on their computer skills for employment can register and utilize an open lab without enrolling as CCCC students. During certain hours, the Career Readiness (CR) Prep Lab is open to the public. Time spent in the CR Prep Lab can be used to learn keyboarding skills or work on other computer skills as needed.

A Career Readiness Prep Lab, along with other HRD services and programs, is available in Chatham County at the Pittsboro Campus and at the Siler City Center; in Harnett County at the Lillington Adult Education Center; and in Lee County at the W. B. Wicker Lifelong Learning Center and at the Jobseekers site at First Baptist Church.

HRD courses themselves vary in meeting times and duration, depending on subject matter and student interest. Some courses meet regularly for an entire semester; others meet for four-to-six weeks. Precise times and dates are given in the CCCC Course Schedule, which can be found online at www.cccc.edu/ecd/schedule/schedules/spring2013/pdf/HumanResourcesDevelopment.pdf.

Seated courses meet at Chatham, Lee and Harnett locations during daytime and evening hours. Typical class size is between five and 25 students.

Fee waivers for CR Prep Lab and all other HRD courses may be available for qualifying students.

Interested individuals should contact the faculty representative at a nearby campus: Lillington, Nicole Brown, 910-814-8852; Pittsboro, Delphine Womack, 919-545-8047; or Sanford, Crystal McIver, 919-775-7798.

For more information about HRD at CCCC, visit www.cccc.edu/ecd/departments/continuingEducation/humanResourcesDevelopment.php.

CCCC HRD offers skills for success

Central Carolina Community College Human Resources Development student Angela Barnell, of Sanford, focuses on her work in Kathy Siler's Career Readiness and Pathways course at the Lifelong Learning Center at W.B. Wicker. Among other skills, Barnell has refreshed her computer skills and learned to create a resume. HRD, which is part of the college's Continuing Education Department, focuses on developing the basic skills needed to be successful in the workplace. Interested individuals should contact the faculty representative at a nearby campus: Lillington, Nicole Brown, 910-814-8852; Pittsboro, Delphine Womack, 919-545-8047; or Sanford, Crystal McIver, 919-775-7798. For more information about HRD at CCCC, visit www.cccc.edu/ecd/departments/continuingEducation/humanResourcesDevelopment.php.