Through a partnership between Rappahannock Community College’s Educational Foundation and the Verlander Foundation, Lancaster County resident Shawn Talley has received financial assistance for training that enabled him first to obtain a job and then to advance in his career.
“Shawn was able to secure tuition dollars to enroll in online courses leading to credentials, said vice president of workforce and community development Jason Perry.
“Shawn is one of the many students entering the workforce and simultaneously increasing local economic development and job creation,” said Perry.
Career coaches helped Talley to develop a career plan that included taking a course distributed by Amatrol Incorporated, a skills-based interactive technical learning program. This course, as well as job readiness sessions with a career coach covering resume writing and interviewing tips, made him eligible for a position at Truth Reels, a Northumberland County company that manufactures fishing reels.
Since then, Talley has significantly increased his earning potential by meeting the skill requirements and passing the exams to earn three National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) credentials. As of September 2016, he has qualified as a CNC (computer numerical control) Turning Operator and a CNC Milling Operator, as well as holding a metalworking certification in the areas of measurement, materials and safety.
The National Institute of Metalworking Skills sets standards, certifies individual skills against the standards and accredits training programs that meet its quality requirements. Certificate candidates must meet both performance and theory requirements and the examinations in each of these are industry-designed and industry-piloted. The credentials are used in metalworking industries to recruit, hire, place and promote workers.
The NIMS credential program is just one example of the many certifications available through RCC-Workforce, said Perry.
