BCCC offers classes at the Vernon James Center

Beaufort County Community College will offer classes at the Vernon G. James Research and Extension Center in Plymouth while building maintenance takes place at the Washington County Center in Roper. Classes include High School Equivalency and Digital Literacy, the Airbnb Academy, Registered Medical Assistant and Notary Public Education. To sign up for any of these classes, contact Chanta Rickard Gibbs at 252-940-6245 or email chanta.rickard@beaufortccc.edu.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the college will offer Digital Literacy. This course introduces students to office software applications used in college and workplace settings. Instruction is focused on word processing, spreadsheets, and slideshow applications found in office suite programs such as Microsoft Office and Google Workspace. Upon completion, students should be able to maneuver through each application, apply the skills and concepts they have learned and recognize and define application-related technology terms. This program is part of the High School Equivalency or GED program.

The college will also offer the new BCCC Employment Learning Lab (BELL) at the Vernon James Center. This is a specialized course lab designed to assist individuals with National Career Readiness Certification prep and employability skills, including working with students on resumes, interview prep, and posting applications on our College Central Network site (CollegeCentral.com/beaufortccc). ACT Essential Skills curriculum is also available, covering topics such as Working in Teams, Interpersonal and Business Communication, Work Discipline, Customer Service, Problem Solving and Critical Thinking, and Financial Awareness. Students may register or join this class at any time, as it is an open enrollment lab. Fee Waivers are available for qualifying individuals.

Registered Medical Assistant Part I will start on March 2. The class consists of online instruction on Blackboard and meeting weekly in person on Wednesdays. This is a 720-hour certification program. Instruction prepares students to provide administrative and medical duties in a healthcare facility. In Part 1, students learn administrative and clerical tasks needed for job responsibilities at a healthcare facility. Blackboard is the technology platform used for online instruction with Blackboard Ultra or ZOOM used for meeting sessions. Student must successfully pass Part 1 to register for Part 2. They must have a Career Readiness Certificate (CRC) of bronze or higher. A copy of CRC certificate is due at time of registration along with an official copy of a high school diploma or high school equivalency. Students can also present a college transcript, or a Math and English college course with at least a grade of C. The fees for this program are covered through the Beaufort Promise.

In May, BCCC’s Small Business Center will offer The Airbnb Entrepreneurship Academy for the first time. Airbnb believes tourism can be a force for good. Anyone who has a passion for hospitality should have the opportunity to participate. As part of Airbnb’s support for a new generation of entrepreneurs, they have partnered with BCCC to create the Airbnb Entrepreneurship Academy—a program to encourage inclusive tourism growth and entrepreneurship in communities around the world. Through this course, participants will engage in an immersive educational program focused on what it takes to be a tourism entrepreneur and how to use platforms like Airbnb to connect to the economic opportunities of tourism. Get introduced to Airbnb and the app and how it has revolutionized travel. Participants will learn about how it has created opportunities for tourism entrepreneurship through tech. The academy will discuss travel trends and how they can inspire ideas for tourism businesses. Participants will then be introduced to the fundamentals of business entrepreneurship—and the value of a personal story. Lastly, participants can practice the creative skills associated with setting up an Experience or Home on the Airbnb platform.

Also at the Vernon James Center, BCCC will offer English Language Acquisition or ESL for new English speakers starting February 4. On May 7, the college will offer Notary Public Education for those who want to be commissioned as a Notary Public for the State of North Carolina. Notary Publics handle legal documents such as vehicle titles and wills. To sign up for any of these classes, contact Chanta Rickard Gibbs at 252-940-6245 or email chanta.rickard@beaufortccc.edu.