Occupational Programs provide education and training for individuals to prepare for new or different employment and to upgrade the skills of individuals in their current employment. These opportunities are available through single courses or a series of courses specifically designed for an occupation. A significant number of these courses are offered to meet licensure or certification requirements. Offerings include programs for many occupational areas including: Computer Training, Health Occupations, and Technical and Industrial Training. Employability skills and life success skills are provided by Human Resources Development.

The Computer Training Department provides hundreds of offerings each year. A-B Tech works to meet the needs of those in the marketplace who want to master emerging technologies, gain the professional certifications that allow them to advance in their
professions, or enter a field that promises continued growth. For administrative, technical, customer service and professional workers alike, computer skills are a constant. A-B Tech’s programs provide training in a variety of disciplines to help North Carolina’s work-
force grow and learn. From basic courses to intensive professional programs, A-B Tech provides critical and thorough instruction in areas of software, hardware, and peripherals. Designed for both beginning students and professionals seeking to update their skills, A-B
Tech courses and programs cover such timely subjects as administrative and financial software, relational database technology, software-specific training programs, operating systems, and beyond. Courses are offered in traditional instructor-led, online, and
hybrid formats.

Health Occupations programs offered include training in healthcare professions such as Nurse Aide I, Nurse Aide II, Medication Aide, MEPAP Activity Professional, Ophthalmic Assisting, and Dental Radiology. Students successfully completing the Nurse Aide I program and state exam will appear on the North Carolina state registry for Nursing Assistants. Additional courses are offered to professionals for CEUs in the fields of dental hygiene and veterinary technology.

The Human Resources Development (HRD) Program provides short-term, pre-vocational training and counseling designed to help unemployed and underemployed adults successfully enter the workforce with additional education. Instruction focuses on the fol-
lowing topics:

• Career assessment
• Development of a positive self-concept 
• Development of employability skills 
• Development of communication skills 
• Development of problem-solving skills 
• Awareness of the impact of information technology in the workplace

Technical and Industrial Training Programs provide education and training for individuals to prepare for new or different employment in industrial or technically challenging fields and to upgrade the skills of individuals in their current employment. These opportunities are available through single courses or a series of courses specifically designed for a business, industrial, or technical occupation. Some of these courses are offered as apprenticeships or to meet certification requirements for employment in careers such as electrical journeymen, building, electrical, mechanical or plumbing inspection and code updates. Additional course offerings include: blacksmithing, cabinetmaking, carpentry, substitute teacher training and welding.  Classroom and hands-on training in the sustainability arena are also a significant focus.