The state-approved program was offered in partnership with Reading Area Community College.

The recently formed Berks Latino Workforce Development Corp., also known as Berks Tec Centro, honored 10 graduates who made up the first class of its inaugural job-training program.

The graduates of the nurse aide training program were recognized in a ceremony Thursday in the auditorium of the Berks Tec Centro office at 450 S. Sixth St.

Berks Tec Centro is modeled after a successful workforce development corporation in Lancaster.

Nurse aide graduates are equipped with basic skills to provide care for patients, residents and clients in a health care setting. They completed the Pennsylvania Department of Education-approved program provided in partnership with Reading Area Community College.

The program entails 120 hours of training that includes 54 hours of clinical instruction at a Berks County area long-term facility.

Students graduating from the program are prepared to take the nurse aide certification examination administered through the Department of Education.

Violet Emory, program director at Berks Latino Development, said the program is just a start of what is to come. She said the organization plans to phase in other job-training programs and has partnered with other organizations to provide other bilingual education and skills training in Reading.

The original article by Steven Henshaw in the Reading Eagle can be found here.