Published: November 21, 2008 04:47 pm      

Getting back into the work force

Area training center reaching out to former employees who have been laid off from regional jobs

When a company closes or cuts back on personnel, workers can suddenly find themselves in search of a new career.

East Texas Career Training Center in Tyler is offering a course that can help former employees of Goodyear, Tyler Pipe — who have cut back their work forces — and others without work transition into the Medical Provider Specialist Field.

Doris Vick, an ETCTC instructor, said many of the former Goodyear plant employees are still without work and facing the end of certain benefits. The center offers an opportunity for the former Goodyear workers and others like them to get the training they need to make a career change.

“Not all of the Goodyear employees lost their jobs at the same time,” Vick said. “Some of them have benefits that would allow them to get training that they are not using.”

ETCTC representative Albert Bromchill said the center offers an intensive 336-clock-hour program that is competed in 42 days. Students will learn to perform duties and responsibilities relating to the financial billing and collection of revenue from health care payers reimbursable for patient medical care services.

Upon completion, students will receive a certificate signifying that they are ready for entry-level employment in a medical practice, hospital, clinic or related medical or health care organizations.

Vick said an example of the kind of job the course prepares the student for would be the person you see at the nursing station at a hospital. The graduates do not give medical care, but provide other functions vital to the medical field.

“They’ll learn (health privacy) regulations, and the coding and processing of bills,” Vick said.

Vick’s knowledge was gained from employment with insurance payers and medical providers spanning more than 20 years.

“I graduated from Athens High School in 1969. Back then there were no jobs in Athens except for a few manufacturing jobs,” Vick said.

“I left the area and went to Dallas and worked there for many years. Now I’ve returned to teach what I’ve learned from experience.”

Health care is a huge industry nationwide, Vick said. Athens, Tyler and Dallas all have hospitals, clinics and other health-related job opportunities.

“Even when the economy is down,” Vick said, “health care is a pretty stable source of revenue.”

The center classroom is designed to accommodate 12 students. The first class is being filled to start in late December or January.

“The small class allows for student-teacher interface,” Vick said. “They can get a head start on what they’re learning.

East Texas Career Training Center, Inc. is approved and regulated by the Texas Workforce Commission, Career Schools and Colleges division. ETCTC is Federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) certified. The goal of the WIA Certification Process is to assist members of the workforce in finding quality training programs meeting their educational needs. The process provides standards that training providers must meet in order to receive WIA training dollars.