News Article

Call Center Training Program Graduates First Class

August 14, 2009

LANCASTER, SC - "We were out there in the water ready to drown, and you guys gave us a lifeline."

That was a comment made today by David Brock who is the only male graduate in a class of 18 in the first Call Center Training Program offered by the new York Technical College Lancaster County Customer Service & Technology Center.

The new customer service center training program recognized its first graduating class on Friday at the new training center in Lancaster. The ceremony was attended by officials from Lancaster County, the Lancaster County Economic Development Corporation, York Technical College, and the Workforce Investment Board.

The first graduating class consisted of 18 students who successfully completed an intensive 4-week, 120-hour course in customer service skills training. Students completing the courses were from Lancaster and Chester counties with 17 of the 18 being displaced workers who lost jobs due to recent layoffs and closures in the textile and other manufacturing sectors.

"This is a great day for Lancaster County," said County Council Chairman Rudy Carter. "There was a lot of time and effort put into this program by quite a few people from the County, York Tech, and the local OneStop and I'm proud to congratulate our first class of graduates. The call center training program was put together in less than four months and this is just the first of many classes to come out of this program.

"We know that as we've recruited call centers to Lancaster County, the one major question about our workforce has not been the number of available workers, but the skills of those workers," added Carter. "This training program puts that question to rest as we can now point to a successful training program that is producing quality workers for the call center industry."

"As Dean of the Lancaster, Chester, and Kershaw York Tech facilities, I can tell you this is a proud moment. "said Ernie Green of York Technical College. "This class will be the first of many to come out of this facility and provides new opportunities for area residents. York Tech is proud to be a part of this program and we look forward to offering this program and many more programs out of this facility in the future."

During the course of the training, the 18 students had to endure some hardships that future classes will not have to encounter. The former Thaxton building on SC Highway 9 is the permanent home for the training center but the initial classes were started at Lancaster High School and then moved to the Thaxton facility once the building could be equipped with computers, desks, and equipment. Through it all, the first graduating class formed a measure of camaraderie and friendship that was evident at Friday’s graduation ceremony. Many in the class have been unemployed for more than 2 years and were seeking a new career. One graduate has already found employment due in part to what she has learned through the training course.

"The training program has been a big help to me," said Brandy Roberts of Kershaw who found out about the program from Green. "I've been calling on local banks and other companies for some time about a job and I recently got an interview with First Palmetto Bank. I took the course curriculum with me to the interview and showed it to them and they told me that the skills and software programs we were being taught were exactly the skills they were seeking in new employees.
"I was offered the job but I asked if I could complete the course," said the 20-year-old Roberts. "They agreed and were impressed with the quality of the classes. I really think this program helped me get this new job. I'm very appreciative of the instructors and my classmates."

Shunna Grant, 28-year-old single mother of 3 was laid off in March of this year from her job at Owens Corning in Chester. She overheard friends talking about the program and contacted the OneStop office in Chester and received her WIA certification and was put into the first training class.

"I lost my job and was looking for a new opportunity, a new career, "said Grant who has three girls ages 11, 8, and 3. "Having this opportunity is something I wanted to do for me to help me get a new job and take care of my children. After taking these courses I can tell you that I’m ready to go to work tomorrow."

The call center training courses were also a success story for Lancaster resident Rhonda Cauthen who lost her job at the Springs Grace Complex in September of 2007 and who entered York Tech in January 2008 to earn a diploma in administrative support using funds from her WIA certification to pay for the courses. She joined the York Tech staff part-time and when the classes started in June, she became a teaching aid with Brenda Odom, the program director and the York Tech training staff.

"No one really knows how much this has meant to me and the people taking these courses, "Cauthen said. "This group overcame quite a bit as we tried to get the classes started and through it all they succeeded beyond our wildest dreams. I'm so proud of the staff and proud of each and every student. These 18 people will make great employees and I know they’ve received quality training."

The class makeup was a bit interesting with 17 women and one man. Many of those enrolled are former Springs employees who lost their jobs over the past two years as Springs was sold and moved to Brazil. Several of the students had more than 15 years of experience working for Springs and are in their 40s and 50s and being forced back into the workforce.

Gussenia Haggins is a perfect example of the effects of textile closures on the local workforce. At 55 years of age, she worked for Springs for 19 years before being laid off over 2 years ago. She had to acknowledge the fact that the textile mills were gone and she had to get trained into a new career field in order to get back to work.

"Things have been tough but all of us believe in this program and I'm excited about the opportunity of going to work for a call center," said Haggins. "The training was pretty tough but we all worked as a team and helped each other and the instructors were there for us throughout the whole process. I know now that I have a new set of skills that have me ready to get a job in a new career field. I'm ready to go to work!"

Janice Stevenson, a 48-year-old resident of Lancaster learned about the program from articles in the Lancaster News and went to the OneStop office to become eligible and take the courses. After 17 years Stevenson lost her job at Schumacher in Chester County and has been employed for 27 months.

"There is no doubt times are tough, but you have to keep on track and keep looking for that next opportunity," said Stevenson. "We're all ready to go to work and many of us talked about how terrible it is to want to work and being forced to stay at home all day when you know you have so much to offer. This class was a blessing and I can take these skills into many different jobs and use what I've learned to be even more successful."

The York Technical College Lancaster County Customer Service & Technology Center was created to support training for the call center industry. The Lancaster County Economic Development Corporation is currently working with several potential call centers that may decide to locate in the area. Having a trained workforce is a key to winning these projects.

"We've had visits from several call centers and remain a strong contender for these call center projects but having a trained workforce is key to our success," said LCEDC President Keith Tunnell. "Every community has plenty of unemployed workers but it will be those communities that successfully train their residents for new careers and new economy jobs that will succeed in attracting new business and industry.

Residents that are interested in taking the courses are urged to contact the OneStop Office (unemployment office) on White Street in Lancaster. Classes are offered at NO COST to residents who are unemployed and who have lost their job due to recent layoffs and closures. Residents must become WIA certified in order to get the free tuition benefit and this is done through the OneStop Office.

Local residents who would like additional information about the center and its programs can visit the training center website at: www.lancasterscworkstraining.com or contact the Lancaster OneStop Office at 803-285-6966.