Economic recovery, are you ready?

Are you ready? Economic recovery begins the first quarter of 2010. That is the view of a consultant that I recently heard that is very familiar with the Virginia economy. It may seem counter intuitive to discuss work force development considering the state of the economy. However, it takes time to identify and develop job training programs that will deliver skills that are in demand. It also takes time to go through the training as job seekers in preparation for job opportunities. And thus, several questions are obvious in approaching this subject. What skills will the employees need in order to fill the jobs? Which jobs will be in demand? Both employers and job candidates are very interested in these questions.

Fortunately we have one of the finest educational institutions for advanced education here in our community. The Germanna Daniel Technology Center works closely with business and industry to identify and develop those job skills that will be in demand. This is Educational Entrepreneurship at its best. The center works closely with the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce, The Culpeper Career Resource Center, The Thomas Jefferson Partnership for Economic Development, Career Partners, Inc., and many other business and government groups to understand our projected business employment needs.

We often take for granted that trained employees will materialize if we just advertise for a job. This is not always the case. We are fortunate that our community college is sharp and focused on delivering value in this regard to industry and job seekers.

As a result, some of the new programs that have been developed by Germanna’s Daniel Technology Center are:

-A Manufacturing Technician training program in coordination with the Virginia Manufacturers Association that offers a curriculum addressing areas of manufacturing such as computer skills, quality control skills, learn manufacturing skills, and very importantly — soft skills relating to interpersonal skills in the work place.

-Allied Health Programs which include designations in Home Health Care, CNA’s, Phlabotomy, and RN refresher programs.

-Information Technology designations including programs such as CISCO Certified Network Associate, CompTia A+, Microsoft Professional and Adobe Certifications, and graphics designers.

-Customer Service Certifications for front line employees in the hospitality and retail industries. This is a very interesting certification. It focuses on the soft skills of customer service. In addition, the intent of the program is also to educate the student about local history and attractions. This creates a great and consistent resource for our visitors from out of town.

And, after you have completed your training, you can take your certification exam at the Daniel Center as well as at their high tech testing center.

Will you be ready for the opportunities that will present themselves? Perhaps you are ready for a job change, career change, or to be retrained for new opportunities. Contact Germanna’s Daniel Technology Center and make an appointment to discuss your ambitions for professional improvement.

They say that learning keeps the mind young. Perhaps Germanna’s Daniel Technology Center is Culpeper’s version of the Fountain of Youth.