Beaufort County Community College is gearing up to offer a series of classes that will give area job seekers the tools to potentially enter the workforce.

The class, Basic Computer Skills, will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays beginning Jan. 28 and ending March 18 at the Beaufort County NC Works Center. The cost of the course is $75, which includes a $70 registration fee and a $5 technology fee, said Lou Stout, director of Workforce Initiatives at BCCC. However, the fees may be waived for those registrants that are currently unemployed, those who have received notice of a pending layoff, those who are working and eligible for the Federal Income Tax Credit or those who are working and earning wages at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, Stout said.

Stout said the class, led by instructor Lillian Chapman, will focus on basic technology awareness, basic computer skills needed to get a job or upgrade current skills. Students will be instructed on using the keyboard, using word processing to create a resume and navigating the Internet for job search strategies. They will also learn to complete online job applications and explore various educational and governmental websites, including the new NCWorks.gov site, Stout said.

Stout said the class aids those who are intimidated by using computers and gives them the tools to compete with other applicants and be good candidates for employment.

“A lot of companies post stuff online,” Stout said. “We will teach students how to navigate the Internet and apply for jobs. It’s just basic skills of what they need to get going, which is essentially, creating a resume and learning how to search for jobs.”

BCCC has offered similar guidance before but in more of a lab setting, Stout said. The administration realized those attending had specific needs that needed to be met so a class was created, based on the most frequently asked questions, in order to give more effective guidance and teach the skills needed to succeed in the hunt for jobs.

“We were finding more students needed specific help and skills, so we took out the most frequently asked things and made the classes,” Stout said.

The class will be held at the NC Works Center computer lab, which was funded by the college in order for students to have an additional resource for job searching and networking. The lab is also available for clients of the center, Stout said.

The college, which partners with the center and the business community to identify needs for employers, uses that information to create classes — like the Basic Computer Skills class, for example — and make resources available to those who are in need of employment, Stout said.

“There’s a group out there that needs it,” Stout said. “It’s just a matter of reaching those individuals.”

The Beaufort County NC Works Center is located at 1385 John Small Ave. in Washington. To register for a class or for more information, contact Lou Stout, director of Workforce Intiatives at 252-940-6307 or visit the BCCC website at www.beaufortccc.edu/coned/contin.htm.