Most people learn basic literacy and related skills from an early age in school programs. Some students, however, have a more difficult time learning these skills for a variety of reasons. A Basic Skills program can be lifesaving for these students. Following completion of a Basic Skills certification program, job options are limited only by the student’s drive and ambition. Possible careers for Basic Skills-certified individuals, following further education, include teaching assistant, AV technician and machinist, among many others.
What is a Certification in Basic Skills?
For various reasons, some young people either do not finish high school, graduate with underdeveloped skills or are otherwise unprepared for working life or further education. Sometimes these people can find employment in very low-skill occupations; however, most jobs require basic reading, math and critical thinking skills, and if a person who lacks these skills decides to return to school it may be necessary to take a certification course in Basic Skills. After successful completion of a Basic Skills certificate, students may be prepared to begin study at a vocational academy or technical college. These schools can prepare students for many different occupations, including teaching assistant, machinist or AV technician.
Teaching Assistant
Teaching assistants help teachers with many of their daily tasks, allowing teachers to focus more on their duties as educators. These tasks include providing one-on-one or group assistance to students, grading papers, calling parents, photocopying materials and managing grades. Other possible tasks include planning field trips and handling paperwork. The job outlook for teaching assistants is relatively good, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), www.bls.gov. As populations increase, more schools will be built and more teachers - and teachers’ assistants - will be needed. The majority of teaching assistants earned between $15,000 and $24,000 per year in 2004.
Machinist
Machinists are skilled production workers who use machines such as lathes and dies to fashion metal parts for cars, tools, factory assembly machines, airplanes and an almost infinite variety of other products. Most are employed in machine shops, which might be contracted by factories and other production facilities to make metal parts for manufacturing. Precision production machinists, who produce large numbers of identical products, often must have knowledge of software and computers to use computer numerically controlled (CNC) machines. The BLS expects employment in this field to grow more slowly than in others through 2014. However, jobs should be easy to obtain, because fewer workers are entering the occupation. Machinists made between $12.40 and $20.80 per hour in 2004.
AV Technician
Audio and visual equipment, or AV, technicians are responsible for setting up, testing, operating and striking AV equipment for concerts, television programs, radio shows, interviews, movie sets and many other events and uses. This equipment may include microphones, cameras, cables, amplifiers, monitors, mixers, projection screens and computer controls. They also must monitor this equipment during use and be prepared to replace any nonfunctioning or broken instruments. AV technicians can expect to see their occupation grow at a steady pace through 2014, according to the BLS. Median earnings as of 2004 were $32,570 per annum.