GCC's BEST Center expands online career opportunities

In response to overwhelming interest in online training courses, The BEST Center of Genesee Community College will offer a new segment of online training programs in healthcare, business, and technical careers such as medical transcription, advanced hospital coding, website and web database development, or as a certified business manager.

The new noncredit online training courses are provided through a partnership between The BEST Center and Gatlin Education Services. The programs are designed for individuals looking to switch career paths, obtain advanced training and certification, or for first-time job seekers who seek specialized training. The courses are all self-paced and students are paired with a personal instructor. Online training courses take an average of three to six months to complete.

Employment information released by the New York State Department of Labor finds that many popular occupations are expected to experience significant growth through 2010, including those in the 'hot trend' areas of medical assistants, computer support, medical records and health information administration, and pharmacy technicians, according to college representatives.

According to the statistics mentioned, medical assistants are expected to experience 53.3 percent growth; an increase of 11,430 jobs. Dental assistant positions are expected to expand by 27.1 percent, while medical records and health information administration should open 37.3 percent. Computer support positions will grow the fastest, by 44.6 percent. Pharmacy technicians will benefit from a 24.2 percent increase.

Job seekers can explore these career opportunities and be trained in many occupations by taking any one of the more than 35 online courses offered through The BEST Center. A listing of course offerings include:

•Healthcare Profession: medical transcription, administrative medical specialist, pharmacy technician, administrative dental assistant, advanced hospital coding, veterinary assistant, human resources for healthcare professionals.

•Business Profession: certified bookkeeper, certified business manager, MBA prep, records management, eBusiness, corporate governance and ethics.

•Technical Careers: AutoCAD 2005, digital arts certificate, webmaster, graphic design.

The BEST Center, an acronym for Business and Employee Skills Training, is the workforce development division of Genesee Community College. While offering state-of-the-art conference facilities for both large meetings and small intimate groups, The BEST Center also tracks and promotes business development in Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties. Training, workshops, seminars and consulting services are available on campus, on-location, and online. Programs can be tailor-made to specific goals, and The BEST Center offers a variety of seminars to enhance computer, management, leadership and industry-specific skills.

For program and course descriptions, go to www.bestcenter.org. For enrollment information, contact The BEST Center at 585-345-6868.

January 8, 2006