Southwest Tech: Fast, a ordable, and flexible career training in Southern Vermont

BY ROB BAHNY Special Contributor

Southwest Tech in Bennington and the Windham Regional Career Center in Brattleboro are both well known for offering top notch career and technical education for high school students. What many don’t know is they also offer in-demand career and workforce training to adult students. There are many readily available jobs in Southern Vermont and beyond that don’t require a college degree, though they do require short-term training and/or an industry recognized credential. That’s where adult technical education steps in to help people get trained to fill these jobs.

Across Vermont, thousands of adult students take advantage of these training programs at the 17 technical centers. Southwest Tech and WRCC are no exception. Collectively enrolling over 200 adult students per year, they help contribute to expanding the trained and credentialed workforce in our region. Programs range from Licensed Nurse Assistant, Commercial Driver’s License, Welding, Dental Assisting, CNC Machining, Massage Therapy and computer skills. Classes are offered in-person, online, or hybrid format to suit the needs of all types of learners. All of these programs give people skills for entry-level work in high demand positions.

Employers in these fields often have difficulty finding trained employees so for people who complete these programs employment prospects are very strong.

Adult workforce and technical education training classes are a great investment in your future and won’t take years to complete like college because they are short-term by design. Many programs last only approximately 4-12 weeks and usually meet 2-3 nights per week. One of the best aspects of these programs is they are very hands-on. They all require some degree of classroom instruction, but the instructors work very hard to make sure plenty of time is spent outside of the classroom getting hands dirty learning the important skills these jobs require.

Tuition is affordable as well. The Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) has many grants, scholarships, and loans available to help cover the tuition costs. Many low to moderate income earners qualify for VSAC’s financial assistance providing them access to these critical training programs.

One of the biggest hurdles to getting folks enrolled in these programs simply is awareness. That is starting to change however as word gets out. Enrollments at SWT and WRCC continue to grow and some popular programs even have waiting lists for seats. Southwest Tech and WRCC both have a core group of dedicated instructors who enjoy working with adult learners and all the wonderful experiences they bring to the table. Adults learn differently from children, and our instructors are well versed in the learning needs of this population so as to create interesting and engaging classes.

A list of all Vermont’s adult technical education programs can be found at www.vtadultcte. org which is the homepage for the Vermont Adult Career and Technical Education Association. VACTEA supports the technical centers and encourages and supports its members in offering high quality workforce and career training. Our members look to partner with industry and their communities to help recruit and train for in-demand jobs and careers. Southwest Tech and WRCC are both integral members of this association.

Rob Bahny is the Workforce and Adult Technical Education Coordinator at Southwest Tech.