Discusión general

General Information

Mission

The mission of the Workforce and Business Development (WBD) Division of Aiken Technical College is to enhance human and economic development by providing specific services, educational programs, and training solutions that improve the quality of life for our customers.

WBD strives to:

• Develop solid, long-term relationships with our customers;

• Provide access to diverse human resource solutions;

• Offer the highest quality training, education, and services;

• Deliver exceptional customer service; and • Meet the specific needs of and improve the

quality of life for our customers.

WBD offers a variety of training programs and courses as part of a lifelong learning process. The programs are available to the general public, business, and industry through short and long courses, seminars, workshops, and conferences on the ATC campus or at company sites.

Registration and Enrollment

WBD courses are available to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Students must be sixteen years of age or older or have the written permission of a parent or guardian. Registration, which is available Monday through Friday (excluding holidays), begins with a visit or call to the Office of Workforce and Business Development (803-593-9231, ext. 1230). Trained staff provide information on individual courses and assist students with registration. Applicants may also register by mail (P.O. Box 400, Graniteville, S.C. 29829) or fax (803-593-8051). To secure a place in a class, applicants must pay fees at the time of registration.

Tuition and Fees

Student fees for each course or seminar vary according to the cost of instruction; therefore, the fees are included in the schedules published each semester. The College accepts payment of WBD tuition and fees by cash, check, or Visa or Mastercard.

Parking

Students must purchase a $2.00 parking permit per class from the WBD office.

Refund Policies

WBD refund policy is subject to change. The refund policy outlined below is effective as of Spring 2004.

1. Should WBD cancel a course, WBD refunds the full fee with no action required by the student.

2. A student who withdraws from a WBD course before the course start date receives an 85% refund of the course fee.

3. A student who withdraws from a WBD course after the course start date receives no refund. Under special circumstances, however, the student may appeal to the Associate Vice President of WBD. If the Associate Vice President determines that extenuating circumstances exist over which the student had no control and which the student could not reasonably foresee, then a full or partial refund may be granted after the class starts.

Attendance Policy

WBD students are expected to follow Aiken Technical College’s Attendance Policy (see page 213) in all classes with the exception of courses where government or other agencies dictate specific attendance criteria. These exceptions will be listed in the syllabus given to students at the beginning of each course.

General Information

Programs and Courses

WBD offers courses in healthcare careers, occupational training, transportation, personal and professional development, leadership, industrial and technical skills, safety, and environmental training. Experienced professionals who understand both the needs of the individual and the demands of business and industry conduct all WBD courses.

Year-round scheduling provides the student with the opportunity to enhance or upgrade job skills as well as to develop new ones. In addition to a wide range of offerings, WBD customizes many courses and programs for presentation at company sites.

Continuing Education Units

Students who successfully complete courses through WBD receive Continuing Education Units (CEUs). A CEU, which is recognized nationally, is defined as 10 contact hours of class participation in an organized adult continuing education or extension program. Upon successful completion of a course or program, students receive a CEU certificate. Note: Students do not receive academic credits for completion of a WBD course.

WorkKeys™

Since 1997, ATC/WBD has adopted the use of WorkKeys™, an EEOC compliant process developed by ACT, Inc. The WorkKeys process is being used throughout the United States in business and industry and in public schools. WorkKeys provides a common language for educators, businesses, and industries.

ATC utilizes WorkKeys in our hiring process to ensure qualified employees to serve our students and our community. According to ACT, employees must have skills and knowledge in nine areas to successfully perform their jobs:

Reading for Information (RI) Applied Mathematics (AM) Applied Technology (AT) Locating Information (LI)

Listening (L)

Writing (W) Business Writing (BW)

Teamwork (T)

Observation (O)

ACT certified WorkKeys profilers facilitate a process in which experienced employees identify the skills and skill levels required to perform their job. As a result of this process, a job “profile” is established for that specific position. This profile identifies which of the nine skill areas are needed to perform the job and at what skill level employees must perform to be successful at an entry and performance levels. Assessments are given to incumbent workers or job applicants to see if they meet the profile standard. This profile can be used for pre-employment hiring, skills gap training, and curriculum development.

Example:

Maintenance Mechanic - Entry Level

AM AT L LI O RI T W

4 5 4 4-5 4 4-5 4 3

To meet the goal of preparing students and clients for the workplace, WBD is currently aligning the entire curriculum to meet the related WorkKeys profiles. Upon successful completion of a WBD program, students will be prepared to take related certification exams and to meet the profile standards established through the WorkKeys process.