COUNTYWIDE FOCUS : MOORPARK : Training Offered to Low-Income Women

A series of specialized classes will be offered to low-income women at Moorpark College this semester through the Job Training Policy Council of Ventura County.

Federal funds will pay for tuition, child care, supplies and other services for participants, said Vicki Bortolussi, dean of career education at Moorpark College.

“This is an opportunity for women to be trained in occupations where they can get jobs,” Bortolussi said. “They would be getting jobs in areas where women have not previously been getting jobs.”

Courses include computer-aided drafting, desktop publishing and both the technical and performing sides of broadcasting, Bortolussi said.

“The training is earmarked for women who have lost their jobs in mass layoffs or a closing or are economically disadvantaged,” she said. “We are looking for women who are very motivated, (or) who may be in the work force now but want to be in another part of it.”

The spring semester at Moorpark College begins Jan. 17. But applicants must be accepted into the jobs council program first, Bortolussi said.

“If they’re ready and willing to pursue it, there are people at the college and at JTPC who will help get them into the classes,” she said. “But there’s no time to waste.”

The training council spends $11 million in federal funds annually to train poor people for local jobs. Applicants should contact the council at 988-1533.