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Non-Credit, Short-Term Training & Community Education Programs

Calhoun Community College is committed to the success of our students and Business & Industry clients through our efforts to develop the economic vitality of our community. This effort requires a commitment to a trained workforce through partnerships with local companies and organizations.

Our Mission:

Our Mission is to provide state-of-the-art training and assessment services that support the development of the workforce of North Alabama.

Purpose: To meet the growing demand for skilled workers To improve the skills of current workers To keep North Alabama competitive in jobs and in productivity

ACT Center Services

ACT Online Classes

Calhoun Community College operates an ACT Center with over 5,000 online, skill-based courses. The ACT Center offers convenient online courses and online training for businesses and individuals. The courses are available at your convenience, and may be taken from any computer with Internet access available.

The ACT Center offers courses in the following areas:
-Management
-Workplace Safety
-Basic Office Skills
-Basic Computer Skills
-Networking Fundamentals

For more information visit http://www.actcenterlearning.com/calhoun or contact Donna Bass at (256) 260-2462.

WorkKeys Job Profiling

Calhoun Community College job profilers, working together with an employer, use job profiles to identify the key workplace skills necessary to successfully perform a particular job.  Once identified, employers can then clearly describe the skill set to educators, students, and job applicants.

By comparing job profiles with individuals’ scores on the WorkKeys assessment tests, employers are better able to make reliable decisions about hiring, training, and program development.

Job profiling is used for white-collar professional jobs as well as jobs in manufacturing, healthcare, law enforcement, and hospitality.  More than 10,000 unique job titles, ranging from accountant to automotive technician and from welder to webmaster, have been profiled by ACT Job Profiling, which is the tool that many North Alabama employers use for the assessment testing.

Customized Job Profiling with a Calhoun Community College Trained Job Profiler:

• Supports hiring, promotion, and training decisions
• Uses focus groups and trained facilitators
• Offers a proven methodology and reliable results
• Meets requirements adopted by the EEOC

Steps to Job Profiling:

1. Creating an Initial Task List

The technical college’s trained job profiler establishes an initial job task list by obtaining background information about the job from the company contact person and by taking a tour of the job site.

2. Task Analysis

The profiler meets with subject matter experts (SMEs) – incumbent workers or supervisors of the job being studied - who review and revise the list of tasks, adding, deleting, consolidating, or changing the wording of each task to make sure that the list accurately represents the job as it is performed in their company. Next, the SMEs rate each task according to two dimensions: importance and relative time spent. This data is used to produce a criticality rating for each task. The SMEs review this revised task list and make any necessary changes. The resulting final task list establishes which tasks are most critical performing the job.

3. Skill Analysis

Profilers present detailed descriptions of each skill required to complete the job tasks to the SMEs. These descriptions include examples of problems or situations that employees must handle. The SMEs decide, as a group, which skills are relevant to the job, including which skill levels are necessary for entry into the job and effective performance of the job.

4. Documentation

The profiler documents the results from step three in a customized Job Profile Report containing a list of the tasks most critical to performance of the job and information on the skills and skill levels required for entry into the job and effective performance of the job. This report establishes the link between the tasks of the job and the assessment skills.

Workkeys Testing

WorkKeys is a job skills assessment system measuring “real world” skills that employers believe are critical to job success.  These skills are valuable for any occupation – skilled or professional – and at any level of education.   The ACT Center offers the WorkKeys assessments by appointment only Monday – Thursday.  Additional information and practice tests are available from the ACT/WorkKeys website at www.act.org/workkeys. WorkKeys study guides are available at the Calhoun Community College Bookstore located on the Decatur campus.  For more information and scheduling, please call 256-306-2522.

See Facts About WorkKeys

Download Request for WorkKeys Score Report

Alabama Career Readiness Certificate

The Alabama Career Readiness Certificate (ACRC) is based on three WorkKeys assessments:  Applied Mathematics, Reading for Information, and Locating Information.  There are three certificate levels:  Bronze for scores of 3 and above, Silver for scores of 4 and above, and Gold for scores of 5 and above.  The ACRC is issued by the State of Alabama Department of Workforce Development whose goal is to certify that Alabama workers have the basic skills necessary to compete in today’s global workforce.  Additional information on the ACRC is available from the Office of Workforce Development website at www.careerreadyalabama.com

WorkKeys Paraprofessional Testing

The ACT Center offers the Paraprofessional Teacher’s Aide assessment by appointment only Monday - Thursday. Test candidates will take assessments in the following areas: Reading for Information, Applied Mathematics, and Writing. For more information and scheduling, please call 256-306-2522.

ACT High-Stakes Assessments

The ACT Center delivers licensing and certification assessments aimed at ensuring that individuals bring the necessary skills to work.  We offer computer based assessments for the following clients:

• ABVM (American Board of Vascular Medicine)
• ASE (National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence)
• ASWB (Association of Social Work Boards)
• BOC (Board of Certification)
• BU (Boston University)
• CAPT (Center for the Advancement of Process Technology)
• CSA (Codes and Standards Assessments)
• CDR (Commission on Dietetic Registration)
• CTS (Continental Testing Services)
• Comira
• Infosys/Edutech
• NASC (National Assistant at Surgery Council)
• NITC (National Inspection, Testing, and Certification Corporation)
• NMTCB (Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board)
• NMTCB Specialty (Nuclear Medicine Technology Specialty Exams)
• PAHCOM (Professional Association of Health Care Office Management)
• PBP (Progressive Business Publications)

Additional information is available online at www.act.org/actcenters.

Leadership Development and Customized Workforce Training

The ACT Center offers award-winning courses in the areas of leadership and customer service from workforce through mid-management levels.  Curriculum is flexible, allowing you to meet the customized needs of your clients.  In addition, many of the courses we offer have been HRCI approved for re-certification CEU’s.  Our courses are offered through:

Also offered upon request: