Fresh start: Former Dell worker jumps into a new career with help from GTCC's Quick Jobs program
Fresh start: Former Dell worker jumps into a new career with help from GTCC's Quick Jobs program
When Enock Severe lost his manufacturing job in December, the 36-year-old turned to a training program that has helped hundreds of people retool and find work.
GTCC’s Quick Jobs with a Future program began in 2003, modeled after a Greenville, S.C., program, according to Lisa Cozart, Quick Jobs interim coordinator.
The program aims to prepare students for jobs in local growth industries.
“We try to make sure there is a need in the workplace for these types of positions,” Cozart says. Quick Jobs “provides a short-term occupational training program for those who have been laid off or who are underemployed,” she says. “There is a great need for this type of program. In only 90 days, you can acquire and update your skills. Our program helps students get back into the job market much quicker.”
More than 2,700 students have attended 280 classes focusing on more than 30 occupations since 2003. And “the majority of those completing coursework are gaining jobs within 90 days,” says Brian Haderlie, dean of the school’s Business and Industry Services. He adds that the program’s advisory board of community leaders helps the school determine what employment areas to focus on.
The school also helps prepare students for job interviews and offers them the chance to earn the career readiness certificate (CRC), a portable credential that ensures job seekers achieve skill levels that will qualify them for particular jobs. The intent is to make the hiring process easier and more beneficial for both employers and job seekers.
GTCC announced in January that it would expand Quick Jobs. New or expanded courses included coursework to become health care workers, financial member representatives, food and beverage operations supervisors and welders. The school opened up additional classroom space at its campus on East Wendover Avenue in Greensboro to accommodate the expansion. According to the school, Quick Jobs attracted 282 students in the spring, compared to 179 students registered in spring 2008, a 63 percent increase. While response has been healthy for the new classes, Cozart says a number of other courses are popular, including medical receptionist, health insurance billing, administrative assistant and pharmacy technician. These are occupations that are either growing or have not been severely impacted by the recession.
For Severe, a Haitian immigrant who came to the United States in 2000, Quick Jobs was a lifeline. It helped him identify and quickly train for work he now enjoys.
After he was laid off by Dell, where he assembled computers, the married father of two attended a job fair that Quick Jobs held. He enrolled in the direct-care worker class, which trains students to assist people with disabilities.
As part of the class, Severe completed an internship at LifeSpan, a Charlotte-based nonprofit that serves adults with developmental disabilities. Severe interned at LifeSpan’s Greensboro and High Point locations and quickly realized he wanted to work for the company.
Steve Knier, executive director for the Guilford/Alamance district of LifeSpan, says that Severe stood out.
“Enock showed a lot of perseverance,” Knier says. “He kept coming back to us even though he had clearly exceeded the number of hours he needed for the class requirements.
“At that time we didn’t have a job opening. I think he was doing it out of his heart. He just felt ‘maybe if I take my time, something good will happen.’ Someone happened to retire and we hired him.”
Knier says LifeSpan has benefited from its partnership with Quick Jobs. “It’s clearly paid dividends in helping us hire some quality staff, to help us identify people who are committed,” he says.
Severe, who began working on July 6 at the LifeSpan office on West Wendover Avenue in Greensboro, says he’s enjoying his new occupation helping the disabled on a daily basis. He’s even taken the initiative to organize a choir at LifeSpan, using his musical talent.
As for the GTCC program that helped him get where he is today, Severe says: “I look at it like it’s the best thing someone can do. It’s quick. It doesn’t mean you’ll find a job right away, but it improves your chances. And if it’s something that’s related to health care, you’re more likely to get a job.” CutlineAs Severe plays his guitar, Karyn Edmonds (from left), Kristin Phillips and Tim Barrett sing along.
Enock Severe 083009
Enock Severe, an enrichment specialist with LifeSpan in Greensboro, plays his guitar for a group sing-along. LifeSpan provides education, employment and enrichment opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Visit www.gtcc.edu and click on “Quick Jobs,” or e-mail quickjobs@gtcc.edu or call 334-4822, ext. 2562.
