TVCC partnering with Workforce Board to offer training

Staff Reports

Training in soft skills can be hard to get.

In the world of business, “soft” skills describe an employee’s ability to communicate with customers and other coworkers.

Trinity Valley Community College is partnering up with the East Texas Workforce Board to offer training in those necessary skills.

“As we work with employers in the community, they tell us that employees need to be better prepared in how to be a good employee,” said Dr. Bill Carmines, student advisor for TVCC’s adult education program. “We call these ‘soft skills.’ These skills include how to work as a team member, how to take responsibility, how to relate to customers, etc.”

Because of the need for that sort of training in the area, TVCC is offering a Career Skills course beginning in November. Classes will be held from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. six Saturdays in a row. Classes will be held in Athens and Palestine.

The same course will also be offered twice more during this school year. TVCC will hold sessions of the Career Skills course beginning in January and March.

The Career Skills course will focus on a variety of skills that those currently employed and those seeking to enter the workforce will need to succeed. Those skills include resume writing, conflict management, communication with supervisors and how to be a productive part of a team.

The soft skills training course is funded by a state grant. The main purpose of the grant, known as the Texas Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) grant, is to help adults with literacy training. The grant focuses on helping adults already in the workforce improve their work-related skills.

“TANF clients are generally parents of children and they are possibly already in the work force. However, they still need work skills training and literacy training,” said Gayla Roberts, TVCC’s dean of Community Services.

Only those who qualify are eligible to take courses using the TANF funds. TANF eligibility includes adults who have at least one dependent child, make less than $30,000 per year, are current TANF recipients, have been a TANF recipient in the past, have children who receive free school lunch, or who can show at-risk factors.

This is the second year TVCC has received TANF grant funding. Last year, the college received $58,000 to expand its adult literacy program. This year, TVCC will receive a total of $51,000.

The 2007-2008 grant funds will be used to help students focus on learning soft skills.

“The real bonus to the Career Skills student is that there is a scholarship awaiting those who successfully complete the Career Skills class.

Those scholarship recipients can apply their award to any number of Continuing Education training programs to assist with entering the workforce, or advancing within a job or career,” said Carmines.

Students participating in the Career Skills project are also eligible and invited to participate in the Adult Education program.

This program is free to adults in this project, and any other adults in the community who need to advance their skills in math, writing, computer literacy, GED preparation, skills to transition to college or other training.

The TANF grant project will also be collaborating with the Palestine Economic Development Corporation and the TVCC Small Business Development Center to train some Palestine area educators to teach soft skills as they work with public school age students.