New VGCC Production Technician program starts soon
Mar. 4—HENDERSON — Vance-Granville Community College has announced a new production technician program, which campus leaders say will equip students with knowledge and skills for potential work.
The program is designed to supply "fast, hands-on training to learn job skills in safety, math, quality practices, teamwork, communications, problem solving, production processes and basic bio-processing," VGCC officials said as they rolled it out.
It prepares students to enter careers as a production technician, machine operator, packaging machine operators, assembly-line workers or assembly-machine operators, according to the release.
"The thing is that a lot of people, maybe they're in their 20s and they worked a couple of places and they put that on their application to go to work, but they really don't have any solid manufacturing credentials or any production credentials other than their work experience," said Keith Shearon, the college's director of customized training.
"But when they come [through] this program, employers can see that they're serious about pursuing that kind of work," said Shearon, who was retiring on Tuesday. "And I think that's a little bit more important. It stands them a better chance of getting a job."
The first people who called VGCC when the college announced the program were employers who wanted to interview its graduates, Shearon said.
"It was instantly [that] industry reached out to us and said 'Hey, we want in on that. We want people that you get through that program to call us for a job,' " Shearon said. "So we thought that was pretty exciting for the community."
The new program doesn't take long to finish at all. Dean of Business & Industry Solutions Tanya Weary said it includes 96 hours of coursework. The program starts Feb. 15 and runs for only 16 days.
Even though the program is over quickly, students can expect to gain practical and valuable skills from it.
The Production Technician program is a competency-based training program designed to supply students with what's referred to in the release as "enhanced career opportunities in manufacturing."
Students will be introduced to the concepts of process improvements and "emphasizing the importance of quality and its role in company profitability and job sustainability," officials said.
At the "completion of the program, they will have four certifications, which is the North Carolina Manufacturing Certificate, the Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt certification, forklift operators certification as well as the OSHA 10 [for safety]," Weary said.
Shearon said all of those certificates are regularly recognized in North Carolina and three of them are recognized nationally. "They're not just college certificates, they're industry recognized certificates," he said.
Tuition scholarships are available, and full scholarships will be supplied to the first eight applicants.
Check out https://www.vgcc.edu/coned/productiontech/ for more. Anyone interested should contact Weary at wearyt@vgcc.edu or 252-738-3521.
