Community colleges ease career-ladder climbs.

• Author: Wood, Suzanne
• Position: SPONSORED SECTION

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A graduate business degree isn't the only way to fuel a career. Programs at Raleigh-based N.C. Community College System's 58 campuses help professionals change or advance their careers by giving them the skills that employers demand.

More than 450,000 North Carolinians enrolled in non-degree training programs at the colleges in 2014-2015, says Margaret Roberton, the system's associate vice president of workforce development and continuing education. Career or technical-skills programs geared toward adults are part of the system's continuing education offerings. Although people typically associate continuing education with avocations, these programs include classes, workshops and other offerings that make employees more valuable and job seekers more competitive.

Roberton says the offerings are integral to the state's workforce-development plan. Colleges engage local industries to identify regional needs and then deliver custom-training programs in any of a variety of fields, including health care, advanced manufacturing, service, public safety, transportation and information technology. "In addition to providing direct connections to industry-specific skill attainment, our community colleges also are the primary resource for individuals seeking foundational employment skills in literacy and workplace success," she says.

Fayetteville Technical Community College has joined forces with the Greater Fayetteville Chamber to offer courses for business professionals through its Continuing and Corporate Education Division. Some courses develop general skills such as time management, communication and customer service. Others, such as a class that prepares bank tellers, help students land a new--or first--job. The college also offers a course that prepares human-resources professionals for the exam that leads to the prestigious "certified professional" credential offered by Alexandria, Va.-based Society for Human Resource Management. Earning it can advance careers, especially if the bearer lacks a bachelor's degree or majored in an unrelated discipline.

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Piedmont residents can find career training at Guilford Technical Community College. Industry-specific courses lead to credentials for office-related jobs such as accounting specialist or administrative or executive assistant; health-related jobs such as pharmacy technician or Spanish-to-English medical interpreter; and technical jobs such as...