In this new day and age, many employers require computer skills, which is what New Horizons teaches year-round in classes designed for novices to techies.
“Most people are asking entry-level [employees] to have [computer] certification,” said Dan Sandoval, who owns and manages the Chattanooga location. The certifications his facility offers, in programs from Cisco networking to Dreamweaver to Word, typically take three to six months to complete.
Carly Berry and Les Voorhees receive certified computer instruction from Mark Kelley at New Horizons, which offers hands-on learning at its new location in Eastgate Town Center.The franchise has operated locally for 16 years, but recently moved to its new Eastgate Town Center location from Highway 153.
Les Voorhees had been a computer technician in the Navy, but he said when he tried to change careers he found his experience didn’t take the place of certification. He has since received two certifications from New Horizons and is currently looking for a job.
“We’re not a placement center, but because we train just about every company in town, clients will call us and say, ‘Send us a resume,'” said Sandoval. “Pretty much you name it business-wise, we’ve done training for them.”
Instructors are all Microsoft-certified trainers and hold a variety of other certifications. They also possess extensive real-world experience and are constantly tested, according to Sandoval.
While New Horizons gets the newest products and programs often before they’re even released to the public, said Sandoval, classes are offered on older programs as well.
“We train them on what the business community is needing,” he said. “The goal is to get them out working.”
As a Tennessee Career Center-approved training vendor, many grants are available to help individual students cover the cost.
“If they’re not working or they’re underemployed and trying to get back into the work force, we try and find grants for them to cover the whole expense,” Sandoval said.
The hands-on learning style is not only applicable but beneficial to all, he said, and utilizes state-of-the art classrooms and technology. He added that class sizes typically range from one to 24 students, allowing personalized attention. One-on-one mentoring is also available.
A six-month repeat policy allows students to refresh their skills and knowledge of the course material as many times as they want in that period without additional cost. Everything is available to them online.
Although very much a school – with access to the more than 150 instructors at other locations across the United States – New Horizons is different from a university. Students can take one or several targeted classes, businesses can send employees to upgrade their proficiency or learn the newest company software, or instructors can come on-site for a hard-hitting day course.