Free classes at NTC offered through $95K DEED grant

BEMIDJI – Residents of the Bemidji area with an interest in health care careers can apply to take three core health-care-related courses at Northwest Technical College at no charge, thanks to a grant received by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

DEED estimates that during the next two years, there will be a need for more than 4,400 healthcare-related jobs paying between $20,900 and $66,000 annually in what it defines as Economic Development Region 2 – which includes Beltrami, Clearwater, Hubbard, Lake of the Woods and Mahnomen counties.

With the grant, DEED will allow Northwest Tech – along with partners at the Rural Minnesota CEP Inc., Bemidji Adult Basic Education and local and area businesses – to establish the Minnesota Adult Career Pathway. The pathway will offer opportunities to gain awareness of and explore healthcare careers and allow those interested in pursuing those careers to begin the process of becoming academically prepared for employment.

The pathway will provide accepted students with foundational education through courses in Pre-Healthcare Preparation, Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology and Introduction to Computers – Medical Applications. In addition to providing an introduction to the education necessary for work in healthcare, these courses are included in the basic requirements of many healthcare programs at NTC – giving participants a boost toward completion of those programs.

The $95,000 FastTRAC Workforce Development Grant will allow Bemidji Adult Education and Northwest Tech to offer the three healthcare pathway courses free of charge to accepted applicants, beginning Nov. 6. Before the courses begin, participants will be introduced to NTC’s expectations by completing a college orientation that includes technology requirements, guidance for financing an education, and the college’s policies and procedures.

“This is part of an ongoing partnership between NTC, DEED and the local adult basic education program,” said Harry Cottrell, dean of students at NTC. “It is wonderful to have a partnership that will allow DEED to pay the costs, using the FastTRAC grant, for students to begin their college career, and to have those classes taught right here on our campus.”

Bemidji Adult Basic Education will teach the Pre-Healthcare Preparation course on the NTC campus from Nov. 6 through Dec. 13. Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology will be taught by NTC on campus from Jan. 15 through March 7, and the Introduction to Computers – Medical Applications will be taught by NTC on campus from March 15 through May 9, 2013.

All classes will be from 6-9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. This is an on-site program; courses will not be online.

The free educational opportunity will be limited to about 30-40 students. For details or to learn how to apply for the program, call the WorkForce Center at 333-8200 or Bemidji Adult Basic Education at 333-3299, ext. 220.

Online: Rural Minnesota CEP: http://www.rmcep.com