FOR
MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT
ANSON C. SMITH AT 203-332-5229
55+s Sharpen Job Skills at HCC
Complete
10-week Course,
Graduated 12/18
BRIDGEPORT - For
Frances Smith of Bridgeport, it means adding computer
skills to the credentials she'll
take with her when she graduates from Waterbury's Post University
in May.
For
Jean-Ene Thomas of Bridgeport, it means becoming reacquainted with the job-hunting
skills needed to get him back into the banking business.
For
Dorothy Robles, it means getting the computer skills she needs to rejoin the
workforce in the competitive secretarial field.
Smith,
Thomas and Robles are among some 30 students who enrolled in the "Maturity
Works for Business" program offered at Housatonic Community College.
Funded with a U.S. Department of Labor Grant made available through The Workplace
Inc. of Bridgeport, the program is designed help people 55 and over who
are underemployed or unemployed to improve their marketability so they can
return to the workforce. Only three such grants were awarded nationally, and
HCC is the only community college to be used as a resource in this fashion.
The 10-week program, which began Oct. 1, brought the students to Housatonic
for five hours per day, five days per week, for crash courses in subjects
such as computer skills; client orientation and customer service; public
speaking; written and verbal communication; and group dynamics, including
team building, decision making, and dealing with different points of
view.
"The workplace has been changing at a dizzying pace in recent years,
requiring new and different skills from job candidates," says HCC Workforce
Development Coordinator Leigh Roberts. "These programs are designed to
ensure that these job candidates have the skills today's employers require."
This is what brought Robles to the class. Robles is looking something
that will give her the advantage in today's competitive job market
for secretarial work. "I was told that, if you have computer
certificates, you will get in the door," she said. "One
course in this program leads to a certificate in Microsoft Word. Hopefully,
that will give me the competitive edge."
Smith, who received her associate degree in Human Services from HCC,
also attended the program for the computer skills. "This will
give me the computer skills I need for today's job market," she
said.
The program also offers courses in job hunting that include writing
cover letters appropriate to the position being sought; marketing
yourself - negotiating, creating a portfolio, making a good first impression
on paper and in person; and advanced interviewing skills.
This is something Thomas feels would be of value. "I haven't
had to conduct a job search in more than 20 years," Thomas said. "I
have to get reoriented to the job search environment."
That's why job-search skills are part of the maturity works package,
Roberts said. "Job-hunting today is a science in itself," she
said. "With the weak economy and high unemployment rates nationally,
it's a buyer's market, and the buyers are looking beyond
qualifications to the personal attributes that ensure employees will
be a good fit for the company and the positions."
"All too often, the job goes not to the person who is most qualified,
but to the person who presents himself or herself the best," she said. "The
job-search related courses are designed to help these candidates do just that."
That sits just fine with Thomas, Robles, and Smith.
The next step for them and their classmates is a job-training "boot
camp" at The Workplace, where they'll get hands-on job-search
experience. They'll spend some 15 hours per week during the month
of January developing and implementing a job-search plan that will
hopefully land them a job.
Anson C. Smith, Public Relations Coordinator
Housatonic Community College
900 Lafayette Blvd.
Bridgeport, CT 06604
Tel: 203-332-5229, Fax: 203-332-5247
E-mail: asmith@hcc.commnet.edu