By Mario Montalvo/ne news editor
The new Haltom City Northeast Center has opened its doors to make undergraduate and continuing education classes more accessible to students in northeast Tarrant County.
The 5,000-square-foot facility, formerly the Haltom City library, will allow NE Campus to offer courses previously unavailable because of lack of space.
“We were able to get this in partnership with the city of Haltom City,” said Hank Johnson, NE program coordinator for continuing education. “This was their old library, so they wanted to get some activity and traffic over here.”
The center currently offers a handful of undergraduate and continuing education courses to approximately 400 students.
Some of the courses currently offered include Pre-Algebra, Intermediate Algebra, English Comp I, Computer Basics and even hula and belly dancing.
“We’re really covering the spectrum of classes because in addition to just undergraduate classes, there are dual enrollment classes offered to high school students,” Johnson said.
The center also offers GED prep courses and works with the Texas Workforce Commission to help individuals obtain the skills necessary to compete for jobs.
Janelle Cardenas, an instructor at the center, is available to assist students in the Office Careers program, which helps them re-enter the workforce.
The students mostly work independently, but Cardenas is on hand to provide any assistance as well as administer tests.
Donna Oswald, a student in the careers program, is trying to become a medical secretary.
“I was behind on my software skills,” Oswald said. “This should empower me to work pretty well independently in a one-office situation.”
Oswald, who lives in Saginaw, said taking classes in Haltom City is more convenient.
“I love it,” she said. “It saves me 30 to 40 minutes a day.”
