Letter from Vice President

Letter from the V.P. Deborah Wright

No matter how hard the past is, you can always begin again. -Buddha First of all, welcome back! I thought this quote was particularly appropriate given its application and context to 2020 and the first half of 2021. It has been challenging for many of us despite the industry in which you work. This fall, beginning again takes on different meaning for everyone.

We are excited to have everyone back on campus. Beginning again for the Continuing Education division, means a new look for our catalog, increased face-to-face classes and class sizes, and the addition of online classes to our delivery options. We also have a new location for some limited classes this fall at the Transformation Center (A-B Tech Partnerships, beige section) with more to come later. The catalog is newly organized to make it easier to find the disciplines and courses that match your interest. We have broken out some of the larger sections, added icons, and color coordination throughout to help with your search. Perhaps you work in hospitality and are excited about the re-opening of dine-in restaurants and breweries again. Many are looking for quality employees to bring back on staff. The Business and Hospitality section (in green) will inform you of classes from Basic and Advanced Culinary Skills to the Foundations of Wine class. If you worked in hospitality and have decided to take your career in a new direction and re-train in a totally new field, you might peruse our gold section with a list of training for jobs in Emergency Services, the pink section for opportunities in Health Occupations, or check out the Skilled Trades in the dark green section. The skilled trades include our electrical, plumbing, welding, woodworking and more. Finally, if you have been home for a year and need to start from the beginning with understanding the job market in our area and getting your resume updated, our Job Preparedness training (in black) has a wealth of information on interviewing, job searching, and computer skills which includes training for jobs in manufacturing.

Thanks to local, state, and federal funding through SECU, GEER, and HEERF (STEP and WIOA) we have many financial resources to cover most if not all of the cost for student who sign up.

A-B Tech is looking forward to joining in with others in Buncombe and Madison counties this fall to revitalize our community and help get people back to work.

Deborah D. Wright Vice President, Economic & Workforce Development and Continuing Education