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Representatives from the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) were on hand at this week’s grand opening of the new Career Academy of Pella.

Business Consultant Kelly Mitchell says the community college is partnering with Pella Community Schools to provide college credits for high school students and offer continuous learning programs for adults. She says representatives were in Pella earlier this year to determine a course offering list for the upcoming fall semester.

“What we did earlier in the spring is we did some focus groups with various members of the community, trying to understand what does the community want and what the business area want,” Mitchell says. “It’s computer skills, different things like supervisory training, and how we can improve our leadership skills.”

Course info:

Basic Workplace Computer Skills – 9/15-11/10 – 6:00-9:00 p.m.
Almost every job in today’s workplace requires basic computer skills. Through hands-on instructor-led training, you will gain basic level computer proficiencies in Microsoft Windows, the Internet, Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Textbooks included. $449

Social Media Marketing Strategy – 10/6-10/20 – 6:00-8:30 p.m.
This strategic social media course provides an overview of all the top social networks and how to select the best for your business or event; how social media is integrated into the overall marketing plan; the best educational resources and events for marketing using social media, and a treasure chest of very cool tools to use for social media research, measuring, monitoring, reporting, engagement, amplifying, content development, sharing, planning, organizing, event promotion and community building. Bring a flash drive or $8 material fee. Laptop optional. $115

Creation Leadership Series: Front Line Supervision – 10/13, 11/5, 12/1 – 5:15-8:30 p.m.
Frontline leaders have often been promoted because they were great employees, they did solid work and they seemed ready for more responsibility. Yet they are rarely equipped with the basics to lead others effectively. This course has been specially developed with that reality in mind. It’s designed to make the most of each participant’s time by optimizing their learning in a fast-paced environment, giving them the ability to make an impact with their team.

OSHA General Industry Safety – 10/26-10/28 – 5:00-8:30 p.m.
Topics include shop safety, electrical safety, machine guarding and health programs. $200

Forklift Certification 10/28 – 12:00-4:00 p.m.
Hands-on training and testing in a specific lift-truck operation and inspection. Participants will receive certification meeting OSHA requirements upon successful completion. $200

Excel Basic 2013 11/17-12/8 – 6:00-8:30 p.m.
In this introductory Excel computer class you will learn to use Microsoft’s powerful spreadsheet application that is an essential tool for today’s workplace. You will learn the basic concepts of Excel 2013: the Ribbon interface; entering and editing data; selecting cells and ranges; printing worksheets; creating formulas and functions; formatting cell contents; inserting and deleting columns, rows, and cells; and charts. Textbook is included. $159

Manufacturing MIG Welding 11/30-2/17 – M/W 5-9:00, Sat 7-1:00
This course will prepare you for flat and horizontal position MIG Welding used by most manufacturers in Central Iowa. Successful completion will earn an American Welding Society (AWS) qualification in the flat position. Learn flat and horizontal position MIG (GMAW) using pulse, spray, and short arc transfer. $3300