Cleaning may not be first on your list of fun things to do. However, a paycheck may be more of an incentive.
Pierce’s selection of cost-free vocational programs help students learn skills that can earn them a certificate and get them jobs.
The Adult Education program is one that focuses on career certificates. One of these programs is the Custodial Technician Training course.
Adjunct Instructor Marquis Brignac has been teaching this course for two semesters.
Brignac said this class is important because it spreads awareness about campus sanitation and techniques that are not invasive to the environment at Pierce.
“It would assist in us keeping the campus a lot cleaner because then they will have a better understanding and appreciation of what the custodian staff members do here on the campus,” Brignac said.
Students gain experience working on the campus, but learn skills that can be applied custodial jobs outside of the college.
“It’s an opportunity for them to get jobs even more so there’s a lot of opportunities for job growth in this industry,” Brignac said.
Music Major Matthew Williams said he finds the class to be much more than what he initially expected.
Williams said this course explores a diverse range of knowledge pertaining to cleaning and custodial service.
“I was also learning about the different materials as well as the different chemicals to use,” Williams said.
The course instruction delves deeper into the specifics of the career being taught. Students learn about the different approaches to sanitizing and gain the necessary skills to be a certified custodian.
“I’ve actually gained a better insight of the dos and don’ts of becoming a custodian,” Williams said. “I’m also learning that certain things can be taken care of at home and how to clean better.”
Brignac said students can learn more about what goes into commercial cleaning.
“They can learn more about the difference between disinfecting their area and sanitizing an area,” Brignac said.
Since the course is free of cost, all students can acquire new skills from the program.
“It gives the person a chance to have a better understanding in certain scenarios in the working field,” Williams said. “The fact that it is a free course gives people the chance to take advantage of the situation and go to school again.”
The course provides short-term vocational training to anyone who is looking to learn more skills or prepare for a career in a specific field.
Courses offered within the Adult Education program prepare students solely for the work force and do not require any prerequisites.
The classes are open to anyone at Pierce who has a career-oriented goal.
More adult education classes that Pierce offers include classes such as the medical assistant, geriatric care, phlebotomy and workplace success programs that focus on career readiness.
Students can enroll in these courses for the Spring semester through the Student Information System during their designated appointment time.
