VGCC partners with Oxford Housing Authority on Job Readiness class

A partnership between Vance-Granville Community College and the Oxford Housing Authority is helping Oxford residents gain skills they need in order to become employed and stay employed.

A six-week “Career Planning and Job Readiness” class began on March 4. Many students walk from home to the classes, which are held at the Oxford Housing Authority’s Employment and Education Training Center on Raleigh Street. They meet for three hours each day, Monday through Wednesday.

The course is offered by VGCC’s Human Resources Development (HRD) Department. HRD classes are designed to help the unemployed and the underemployed with career planning and workplace readiness skills. HRD classes are free to qualified participants, including those who are unemployed.

Terry Wymer of Wake Forest is the instructor for the course. HRD Coordinator Kyle Burwell said that Wymer is ideally suited to teach the course, since he is retired from a career as a human resources specialist and manager for a retail chain. One of the topics Wymer covers is how to effectively communicate with potential employers. Wymer, who has many years of experience interviewing job applicants, advises students on how to stand out among the pool of those applying for a job. He continually asks students, “Why should I hire you?”

Depending on demand, the course could be repeated in the future at the Oxford Housing Authority. For more information, contact Kyle Burwell at (252) 738-3276.

Above: VGCC instructor Terry Wymer (standing) teaches a Career Planning and Job Readiness class at the Oxford Housing Authority’s Employment and Education Training Center. (VGCC photo)