AutoCAD, A+ Computer Courses Scheduled First Time At VGCC Franklin County Campus
People in the Franklin County area who want to use their computers for design work should be interested in the AutoCAD 2000 course being offered for the first time this fall at Vance-Granville Community College’s Franklin County Campus.
Another first-time computer offering this fall at Franklin Campus will be the CompTIA A+ Certification course that qualifies its graduates to take the examination to certify their competency as entry-level service technicians in the computer industry.
Keith Johnson of Henderson will teach the AutoCAD (Automated Computer Aided Design) 2000 course, which has been very successful on the college’s main campus for two years. Knowledge of AutoCAD 2000 is helpful in civil engineering, interior design, surveying and construction, according to VGCC officials.
The computer-assisted design program can be used to draw, “anything you want to construct from a plan,” Johnson said. This includes house plans and electrical designs, in drafting and landscaping, and for three-dimensional drawing.
There are three levels of AutoCAD instruction. Level I, or basic, will be offered at Franklin Campus and, as interest increases, the other levels will be added. Level II introduces intermediate topics, and Level III is for the advanced AutoCAD user, Johnson said.
Duane Gordon of Henderson recently earned a job in an architectural firm drawing floor plans and elevations from training he received in AutoCAD training on VGCC’s main campus.
High school students who plan a career in engineering, drafting or a related field may be interested in AutoCAD training. William Stamey, a senior at Warren County High School, is completing Level I training at the main campus.
Autocad 2000 is a 45-hour course that will be held on Mondays from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Sept. 10-Dec. 17, at the Franklin County Campus on N.C. 56 west of Louisburg. Cost of the course is $60 plus the cost of the textbook.
Jim Tart, program head/instructor for VGCC’s Electronics Engineering Technology curriculum program, will teach the A+ certification course. He received his A+ training at N.C. State University to become certified and authorized to teach the course.
CompTIA stands for Computing Technology Industry Association, which represents more than 7,500 computer hardware and software manufacturers, distributors, retailers, telecommunications and Internet companies. CompTIA certifies information technology and service professionals through its certification programs.
The A+ certification exam is accepted as the industry standard and is recognized worldwide by most companies hiring service technicians, according to Ann Behar, coordinator of the VGCC Computer Extension program.
There are two parts to the A+ certification exam. The VGCC course at Franklin Campus will prepare persons for the core exam, to demonstrate ability to properly install, configure, upgrade, troubleshoot and repair microcomputer hardware. The test also measures effective behavior in building customer confidence and satisfaction.
Persons working in the field should be able to pass the exam’s second part, which examines measured basic knowledge of installing and repairing DOS and Windows computer software. Tart reports that students from his A+ course on the main campus have passed both parts of the exam.
The 48-hour A+ certification course is scheduled on Tuesdays from 9 to 11 p.m., Sept. 11-Dec. 4. Cost of the course is $60 plus the cost of the textbook.
Space in both classes is limited, and interested persons are asked to pre-register by calling Jennifer Allen at (252) 492-2061, extension 437.
