First class graduates from new vocational school in Carson City
Submitted by Brett Fisher on Fri, 06/09/2017 - 11:45am
Six students graduated May 25 from the Professional Institute of Technology and Accounting (PITA), a Las Vegas-based vocational school that recently opened its newest campus in Carson City.
Neva Baylor, Ronna Bennett, Paula Helvik, Michelle Lamb, Maria Vieira and Arnie Zeledon completed their 11-week long course in Microsoft Essentials, a comprehensive computer and Microsoft Office training program that prepares students to sit for the industry-standard Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification exam.
Currently three of the six students are scheduled to sit for the certification exam, which awards industry endorsements in Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel software programs.
“PITA helped me to choose a new career path,” said Lamb, a Carson City resident and former waitress who is training to become an administrative assistant. “They were there to help see me through it, and have given me a strong start to be successful as an administrative assistant.”
Zeledon, also from Carson City, said the learning tools PITA provides its students has given him confidence as he prepares to sit for the MOS certification exam.
“I’m ready to take the test,” he said. “I feel like the repetitive use of GMetrix and the way I was taught in class have helped prepare me for the certification exam.”
GMetrix is a software program that trains individuals to become proficient Microsoft Office users while simulating the MOS certification test.
Zeledon said the coursework has strengthened the knowledge he already had of some Microsoft Office programs, while introducing him to others.
“When I started class, I knew some about Word,” he said. “But now I know things about it and other programs I didn’t know before.”
MOS preparation at PITA is giving students in Carson City and surrounding rural counties an edge in the highly competitive office industry.
“Our mission at the Professional Institute of Technology is to help put Nevadans back to work,” said PITA founder and Executive Director Laurie Clemens. “With the addition of the Carson City campus, it will allow us to help those in the outlying areas, who can’t travel all the way to Reno.”
The Carson City campus, which opened March 6 at 251 Jeanell Drive, is PITA’s third location since the school began in 2009. A second campus is located in Reno at 1201 Terminal Way.
PITA specializes in training disabled, underemployed and unemployed workers. In Carson City, the school has partnered with Job Opportunities In Nevada, Inc. (JOIN) and Nevada Job Connect – part of the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation – to offer its training to clients enrolled in those programs.
Clemens said the population her school serves needs more than a pat on the back to improve their circumstances. They need preparation.
That’s where PITA can help, she said.
“I have found that most career changers and people learning software for the first time need the repetition of multiple sessions,” Clemens said. “Plus with the added benefit of computer-based learning, there are multiple formats for each person’s learning style.”
Call 775-461-3880 to learn more about PITA’s Carson City campus. Also visit PITA online at www.nvpita.com or like it on Facebook here.
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