TC offers free training for high-demand fields

Temple College is offering a new program to train local residents for careers in high-demand fields – at no cost to the participants.

The new program, which is funded by the Texas Workforce Commission, is available to adults who have finished a High School Equivalency (HSE) program, or who are in the higher levels of English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, such as those offered by Temple College’s Adult Education and Literacy Department.

Those who qualify can sign up for classes this spring that will train them to become Clinical Medical Assistants, EKG Technicians, Medical Billing & Coding Specialists, Phlebotomy Technicians and Pharmacy Technicians. The classes will be offered through Temple College’s Business and Continuing Education Division. Before these classes start, Temple College will provide two weeks of classes to help individuals prepare to go into an allied health training program. Classes will cover topics such as medical terminology and medical math. Preparatory classes will be offered Feb. 4-14 and Feb. 18-28 from 6-9 p.m.

The local Workforce Solutions Center will help participants with resume writing, interviewing skills and “soft skills” such as teamwork, time management and work ethic. Workforce Solutions also will help participants search for jobs once they have completed their training.

Training programs available this spring are:

Clinical Medical Assistant - Saturdays from March 23 through Sept. 14.

EKG Technician - Saturdays from March 30 through June 29.

Medical Billing & Coding - Monday and Wednesday evenings beginning March 25 and ending July 22.

Phlebotomy Technician - Monday and Wednesday evenings beginning March 25 and ending June 26.

Pharmacy Technician - Tuesday and Thursday evenings beginning March 26 and ending Oct. 15.

“We are very excited to assist the Central Texas community in training skilled individuals for the labor market,” said Stephanie Perkins, director of the Adult Education and Literacy Department at Temple College.

For more information on the new program, call 254-298-8376 or write ael@templejc.edu.

This is the second program the Temple College Adult Education and Literacy Department has started to help its students find employment. Last year, the department began offering entrepreneurship classes for ESL students who want to start their own businesses. Those classes are also available this spring.