Career Bridge Project Assists Slavic Communities

A-B Tech's Career Bridge project, funded by a New Horizon grant from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, is helping Russian speakers learn basic computer skills and improve their employment outlook.

The Career Bridge project targets the rapidly growing Russian speaking population in Buncombe County who are economically disadvantaged due to language barriers, cultural differences and lack of technical skills required in the modern workplace. The project will improve economic circumstances by providing skills training and support services to enhance employment opportunities.

The primary goal is to provide basic computer skills training and awareness of American workplace expectations according to Career Bridge Project Coordinator Shelly M. Yarbrough, a Human Resources Development (HRD) instructor at A-B Tech. Yarbrough said the third offering of the class started in late April with 16 students and she hopes to offer future day and evening classes."We would love to be able to expand this into other areas," Shelly said.

Many local employers - including Express Personnel and the Biltmore Estate - attended a meeting showcasing the project's initiative in early May. According to Express Personnel's Gil Walker,"We place many Ukranian individuals. They are excellent employees."

HRD Coordinator Kay Manley said her department started training Spanish speakers to make them more employable three years ago."Now we are offering a similar training to Russian speakers," Kay said, adding HRD classes available to this population stress computer literacy as well offering support services to promote employability of the students.

The need for literacy training among the Russian and Slavic speaking population in Buncombe County has grown over the past several years, according to Irina Khasanova of the Literacy Council of Buncombe County."We offer tutoring for English. Two-thirds of those we tutor are Spanish but there is also a big group of Russian speakers. We have altogether 80 people on the waiting list," Irina said, adding the group is always looking for volunteers to take on just one tutor a week.

Kay said one of the biggest challenges HRD faces in many of its projects, including this one, is continued funding."We are hoping to get an additional grant to continue this. Right now we are trying to think about links to other funding we already have in place," she said.

Phase One of RIAA Project Completed

Human Resource Development Instructors Elizabeth Saunders and Shelley Yarbrough facilitated a Computer Empowerment Project presentation in Wilkesboro at the North Carolina Computer Instructors' Association Conference March 12-14.

The presentation was the completion of phase one of a Rural Internet Access Authority (RIAA) grant to develop and standardize digital literacy curriculum.

A-B Tech was one of three colleges chosen statewide to develop 60 lesson plans around digital literacy and provide training to the other 55 colleges.

Phase two is projected to begin in July, but is contingent upon funding. "In phase two, the trainer will teach the trainers. Basically we will go on site and show them how to use material and field test it," said Elizabeth, who was the project coordinator.

The state plans to offer standardized digital literacy curriculum in the areas of basic computer skills, word processing, internet basics and employability skills. The RIAA was created by the N.C. General Assembly to spread internet education and access across the state. The authority's goal is to make affordable, high-speed internet access available statewide by December 2003.

Tech Talk is published for employees of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College by the College Relations Division.

Executive Editor: Mona Cornwell

Managing Editor: Jodi Ford

Send submissions to Mona Cornwell, director of communications, at mcornwell@abtech.edu. Publication of the next issue is scheduled July 1. The deadline for submissions is June 9.

This edition of Tech Talk was printed June 2003.

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