North Carolina Department of Correction - Correction News - January 1999
Access to computer training made easy
Gone are the days when MIS staff would put new computers on employees’ desks and then leave it up to the users to find appropriate training. Now all DOC employees across the state will have easy access to training without having to travel hours to get it.
Personnel recently approved the establishment of four new positions for the MIS department. These positions will allow MIS to place a computer training coordinator in four of the department’s five regional offices including the Piedmont, Southern Coastal Plains, Eastern and Western regions. By placing a training coordinator in the regional offices, all DOC employees will have a person nearby that they can call on for assistance with scheduling classes.
"When we go out in the field, we always hear about the need for computer training," said Dale Anderson, Network Support manager. "The training is needed, and we’re real excited to be able to provide this service for the employees of DOC."
Individuals have already been hired to fill the positions in the Piedmont and Southern Coastal Plains regions while the positions in the Eastern and Western regions should be filled in the near future. Todd Phillips will be the training coordinator for the Piedmont Region and Pat Belskie will cover the Southern Coastal Plains Region.
Dan Stieneke, director of prisons, said the new training coordinators will help improve the efficiency of the department.
"As we increasingly rely upon computer technology for completing our work, it is imperative that employees make the fullest use of computer hardware and software" he said. "The MIS training coordinators located across the state are an important part of insuring that the department’s employees are able to work to their maximum potential."
The primary role of the computer training coordinator will be to coordinate training for all DOC personnel within their specified region. The training will be strictly related to the PC and operating systems like the Microsoft Office programs.
The coordinator will contact various computer training companies and community colleges to get the best price for training. Then a training schedule will be developed and employees will be able to attend classes at a nearby training center, at the local community college or even at units with computer classrooms or OPUS trailers on site.
"Our goal is to take training close to the staff as possible, so they don’t have to travel four or five hours or spend the night to get trained," said Bill Kurdys, Management Information director. "This should save money for the department in the long run."
Prior to the establishment of these positions, employees needing computer training often had to try to find classes offered through their local community college, or they had to drive to Raleigh where OSDT had two computer instructors available to train employees.
"With all the people in the department who use computers, two people just weren’t enough," said Dan Lilly, director of OSDT. "Now we have people who will be able to help coordinate and schedule training out in the field. This will be a real asset to the department."
Employees can contact Todd Phillips at 336-896-7024 and Pat