YOUNGWOOD, PA – The Greene County Education Center of Westmoreland County Community College in partnership with the Southwest Corner Workforce Investment Board and PA CareerLink-Greene is offering Back to Work, a short-term, skills-oriented training program for unemployed workers in Greene County starting in January.

                Back-to-Work offers training in Office Administration and New Miner/Emergency Medical Technician –Basic, programs that were identified by the state as having plentiful job openings in the region.  The training programs will cover tuition, fees and supplies for those who meet eligibility requirements.

                To be eligible, participants must be Greene County residents who hold a high school diploma or GED.  They must also be unemployed due to a plant closing or permanent layoff, or their family income from the last six months is determined to be low-income according to federal guidelines.

In the Office Administration program, students will learn Microsoft Office applications and earn a certificate, upon successful completion of the 19 credits of course material.  Graduates may seek employment as administrative assistants, office managers, executive secretaries, receptionists, personnel clerks and word processors.  The college credits may be applied to WCCC’s two-year associate in applied science degree in Office Administration. 

The New Miner/Emergency Medical Technician-Basic program is designed for those seeking to enter the mining field.  Through hands-on instruction, students will learn the expectations and requirements to be an underground miner based on the health and safety regulations established by the Mine Safety and Health Administration.  The 38-hour program combines classroom instruction with eight hours conducted at a mining construction site.  Students will receive a Department of Labor Certificate of Training upon successful completion of the program.

Mining students must also complete the Emergency Medical Technician-Basic program, which adheres to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Standard Curriculum for Emergency Medical Technicians.  The program will train students to treat sick and injured patients using an assessment-based approach.  Those who successfully complete the program will be eligible to take the state certification exam.

The programs will be conducted at the WCCC Greene County Education Center located in EverGreene Technology Park, Waynesburg.

Students will be required to apply for all federal and state financial aid programs for education and training.  Tuition and fees not covered by financial aid will be covered by the Southwest Corner Workforce Investment Board with funding provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The application and eligibility deadline is Monday, December 21.  To apply, contact  Dr. Nancy Davis, workforce development coordinator at the WCCC Greene County Education Center, at 724-627-3464.

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