Career Education Virtual Open House

November 18th, 2020 - 2:28pm

In an effort to assist with retraining Marin County residents who lost jobs due to COVID-related layoffs, College of Marin’s (COM) Career Education and Workforce Development Department customized career courses for online delivery, and created new 12-week accelerated trainings.

Job seekers can register to attend a virtual open house on January 6, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. and learn about the host of trainings offered at COM.

According to recent labor market data from the Employment Development Department (EDD), Marin’s most impacted industry sectors are hospitality (3,800 losses), transportation and trade (2,000 losses), and professional services (1,200 losses). A growing number of laid-off workers across the U.S. in these hard-hit industries are switching to new careers or occupations. Many are transitioning to sectors that have thrived during the pandemic, such as technology, health care, real estate, banking, and warehousing and delivery.

Designed with future workforce needs in mind, the new online trainings will run March 1 through May 28, 2021.

“We dove into local labor market information, polled Marin business owners, met with Chamber of Commerce and Workforce Investment Board executives, as well as several directors of community-based service programs to make sure we were hitting the mark on our offerings,” said Katheryn Horton, COM’s director of workforce programs. “Our goal is to provide in-demand skills training that will help folks get new jobs or promotions in an evolving job market.”

New, online 12-week skills certificates include business office technology, data specialist, business start-up: e-commerce and social media, small business management, web designer, and web developer.

Longer-term career certificates at COM, which are now offered all online, are in the areas of business administration, accounting, entrepreneurship, computer information systems, real estate, hospitality management, graphic design, web development/design, game development, video/sound editing, 3D design, XR design, court reporting, machine metals and welding, early childhood education, administration of justice and auto tech/collision repair (which now offer virtual reality components).

Health occupation trainings (medical and dental assisting, EMT, and nursing) are delivered mostly online with some required in-person lab time.

Career Education Virtual Open House
January 6, 2021
5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Register to attend

Students can enroll now for semester-long programs at www1.marin.edu/apply. Enrollment for the 12-week trainings starts Jan. 4, 2021.