Countywide : Students Line Up for Job Training

After arriving at 5 a.m. Tuesday and waiting in line for nearly five hours, Jodee Guenther, finally signed up for the medical assistant course she wanted.

Not only did, Guenther, 21, say it was worth the wait, but she considered herself “real lucky” to get enrolled in the course offered through Coastline Regional Occupational Program (ROP) in Costa Mesa.

Reflecting the high unemployment caused by the recession, Guenther was among hundreds who endured the long wait to register for the hands-on job training courses. “It was nerve-racking,” said Guenther, of Lake Forest, whose boyfriend, Charles Cortez, and dog, Tara, were with her.

Some people even got in line by 10 p.m. Monday and spent the night outside to make sure they landed the courses they wanted, said Nancy Vopat, Coastline ROP manager of recruitment and marketing.

Vopat said that by 6 a.m. Tuesday, about 150 people were already in line, many with sleeping bags and blankets, to enroll in courses ranging from auto body refinishing to word processing. Health occupation courses were the most popular courses and filled up fast.

ROP gives registration priority to high school students, then the courses are opened to adults who want to learn new skills to get a job or to update skills in their career. For many courses, classroom space is limited.

Tuesday was also the first day of registration at Central County ROP centers in Garden Grove, Orange and Santa Ana, where about 3,500 people registered for classes, according to Keri Gee Barnett, manager of information services.

Barnett said that thousands of applicants have been turned away and that many people were placed on waiting lists.

“There are some classes open, but not across the board,” Barnett said, adding that there are openings in daytime courses in banking, animal care and automotive repair.

Registration begins today at the Capistrano-Laguna Beach ROP, 31522 El Camino Real, San Juan Capistrano.

Debbie Morgan, administrative assistant to the superintendent, said the ROP center is also expecting a crowd.

“The last couple of (registrations), long lines have begun after 4 a.m.,” Morgan said. And last week, scores of people turned out and stood in line in the rain to enroll in courses offered through the North Orange County ROP in Anaheim.

Registration is continuing at ROP centers countywide until classes are filled.

Vopat said that in the last two years, adult enrollment in ROP has increased mainly because of joblessness caused by the poor economy. Vopat also said course demand has risen because of the increasing number of immigrants to Orange County.

ROP students said a benefit of the state-funded education program is its inexpensive cost compared to community college and private program tuitions.

Coastline charges a $35 registration fee for adults. Morgan said Capistrano-Laguna Beach ROP has a $25 registration fee. Central County and North Orange County ROP offers the program at no charge.

Students such as Carmen Wright, 40, of Costa Mesa, a nurse’s assistant, said ROP is a bargain. Wright brought a sleeping bag and got in line at 5:30 a.m. to enroll in a dental assistant course.

Wright, a single mother of two, said she wants to learn new skills to get a higher-paying job.

“This is an opportunity to start a new career,” Wright said after completing registration about 9:45 a.m. “I feel happy.”