Central Community College receives grant for cyber skill classes

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KSNB) - A local college is helping people become more tech savvy.

Central Community College is one of 14 community colleges in the nation chosen to participate in the “Cyber Skills for All” initiative.

The school also received a $20,000 dollar grant from the American Association of Community Colleges, with the goal of providing a skilled technical workforce. The classes will be community-based, but as of right now, officials say there is no timeframe for when the classes will start.

“The real reason that Central exists is to be nimble and able to respond to things that the workforce and employers in our region need, and skilled technical employees is a big part of that,” said Central Community College IT Server Assistance Administrator, Andrew Fausett.

Fausett said having more training available is never a bad thing. He also said it’s important to have an additional avenue to provide this type of education.

“One of the great things about the community college model is you can come in and take one class or you can come in and take a whole program,” Fausett said. “The beautiful part of that to me is if you’re an employee, currently working in the workforce, and you need a little bit of technical training, this a good place to come... to help expand what you have or to try something new.”

Fausett hopes this will help bridge the technology gap that lies between generations of people.

“Hopefully it will bridge the gap, especially when you’re looking at students of all ages,” Fausett said. “We might have a student here that’s 18 right out of high school or we might have somebody that’s looking for a second career, or just a skill addition. We have people all the way into their 80s taking classes from us.”

Fausett said CCC truly has a wide range of people who take classes at the school, showing it’s never too late to educate yourself.

Copyright 2023 KSNB. All rights reserved.