Governor Perdue established the JobsNOW initiative for North Carolina using the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Funds. JobsNOW provides Community Colleges the infrastructure and resources to train North Carolinians in job skills needed for occupations where job growth is projected. Occupational programs will be established so that individuals can complete the training within 6 months or less.

An inescapable reality of today’s economy is that education, training, and the pursuit of lifelong learning are essential to economic stimulus and recovery. For more than a year, North Carolina has felt the impact of the national recession which many individuals have experienced firsthand. In that time, our state's unemployment rate has almost doubled and now stands at 11.1 percent - 7th highest in the nation.

A-B Tech has received approval from the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) to develop and offer the following JobsNOW programs:

• Advanced Customer Service
• Foundations in Culinary
• Fundamentals of Automated Machining
• Principles of Business Operations for Entrepreneurs

Courses will begin later this fall in the areas of Advanced Customer Service, Foundations in Culinary, and Principles of Business Operations for Entrepreneurs. Tuition assistance may be available through the Mountain Area JobLink Career Center.

We are currently recruiting for course developers and instructors. Visit the Human Resources "Jobs" page for more information on these positions. The Division of Economic and Workforce Development will post more information on this website, including course offering dates, as it becomes available on the JobsNOW program.

Financial assistance may be available through Project Skill-UP.

For more information on the JobsNOW initiative at A-B Tech, please contact us at
828-254-1921 Ext. 5834 or wcovert@abtech.edu.