MCCC Office Assistant Certificate Program Opens Doors To Full-Time Employment‏

Blue Bell/Pottstown, Pa.— Sharon Wensel, of North Wales, admits she was nervous to be back in the classroom after many years. But it didn’t take long for her to become comfortable—and to even enjoy—the online modules and open computer labs that are part of Montgomery County Community College’s (MCCC) Office Assistant Certificate program.

“I was worried about the age of the other students, and if I would fit in. I was happy to discover that many of the other students felt the same way!” she shared.

Students enrolled in MCCC’s Office Assistant Certificate program learn critical computer literacy and other skills expected by employers in business environments. Course modules include Business Software Essentials, Microsoft Word Applications and Modern Office Management.

Learning those skills enabled Wensel to find full-time employment as an administrative assistant with a local home design company after she completed MCCC’s program. Today, her responsibilities include filing, answering phones, assisting customers and data entry.

“This course was really influential in helping me to change my career direction and adding relevancy to my skill sets,” she said.

MCCC offers Office Assistant Certificate training as part of the national Job Ready, Willing and Able (JRWA) Initiative, which provides built-in job placement assistance and a coach to guide students through the training and certificate completion. The 16-week competency-based curriculum prepares in business software and office procedures.

The fall iteration of the Office Assistant Certificate program at MCCC begins Oct. 12 and runs through Jan. 28. The course is primarily taught online, with optional open computer labs on Mondays from 6-9 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m.-noon at the Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell, and on Tuesdays from 5-8 p.m. at the West Campus, 101 College Drive, Pottstown. Students are also required to attend three workshop sessions on Nov. 19, Dec. 17 and Jan. 28 from 6-9 p.m.

The cost is $495, which includes instruction, workshops and course textbooks. Deferred payment is available to those who qualify. To learn more or to apply, call 215-461-1468 or email JobTrakPA@mc3.edu.

After completing the certificate program, students may pursue the Microsoft Office Specialist certification exam for Microsoft Word 2013. This sought-after credential provides students with marketable skills that will further increase their chances for employment. In addition, students who complete the certificate can apply the courses to MCCC’s Office Management credit certificate program.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, office and administrative support occupations comprise one of the largest occupation groups in the Commonwealth. The Center for Workforce Information and Analysis projects 105 annual openings in this field in Montgomery County. Additionally, there is a growing need in the Montgomery County region for general office clerks, with an expected 338 annual openings in the County and an estimated 14,620 total jobs in 2016.

Through JRWA, MCCC joins 16 other community colleges across the country in providing middle-skills training, industry recognized credentials, and access to employment across varying industry sectors for unemployed individuals. The initiative is funded by a three-year grant from the Walmart Foundation and is led by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).

Study: Minorities In Pittsburgh Region Dominate Low-Wage Jobs

Ever since the British defeated the French and the Indians then changed the name of Fort Duquesne to Fort Pitt, the vast majority of the population of Pittsburgh has been white.

The workforce of the Pittsburgh region is now 89 percent white, with the remaining share of workers split between African Americans (7 percent), Hispanics and Asians (2 percent each), and 1 percent people who are listed as another racial minority, according to a study released Thursday by the Workforce Diversity Indicators Initiative that was the subject of a forum on diversity at the University of Pittsburgh on Thursday.

The employment sectors with the most diversity also were the lowest-paying sectors, such as administrative and support services with 20 percent share of minorities. That sector includes office work jobs and marketing but also security services, cleaning and maintenance and waste disposal. Minority workers in those jobs make $2,761 a month, which, according to the report, was one of the lowest of all sectors.

Even lower pay was found in the sector with the second highest concentration of minority workers — accommodation and food services — which had 16 percent representation by minority workers on the payrolls earning $1,442 a month.

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/business/career-workplace/2015/03/06/Pittsburgh-region-minorities-dominate-low-wage-jobs-study-finds/stories/201503060177

Camden Layoffs Become Reality

Image via Wikipedia

After months of talking about layoffs and balancing the budget, Camden now has far fewer municipal employees.  168 police, 67 firefighters and 100 other city workers were let go last week. (That represents about 25% of the city’s employees)  This is an effort to close Camden’s $26.5 million dollar budget deficit. (For a point of reference, Norristown’s entire 2011 budget is $25.5 million dollars).

The good news is that no spike in crime has occurred, yet.  However, as one astute online commenter pointed out, wait until summer.  It is too cold out now and people are staying indoors.  This summer, when it hot and people are outside, things will get dicey.  There is certainly something to be said for that theory.

Camden can not be compared to other suburbs their size.  Generally, suburbs do not have the inner city problems that Camden does.  Camden is certainly in a class by itself when you study their demographics and crime statistics.  The crime rate and abject poverty are startling. 

Another well made point was that Camden is not an island.  It is surrounded with other suburbs and criminals are not stopped by the city line.  Not good news for Camden’s affluent neighbors like Cherry Hill and Haddonfield, to name a few.           

Let us hope that a solution can be found to resolve Camden’s budget problems before the warmer weather hits!