I took advantage of PC’s Worker Retraining Program (WRT) after the company I worked for went bankrupt and the store I worked in got shut down. I had worked at Albertson’s for 20 years and at Haggen Food and Pharmacy for one year.
Peninsula College was my first college experience. My perception of how college was going to be matched up to the reality in good ways and not so good ways. On the positive side, I had more free time than I thought I would. On the negative side, I had more free time than I thought I would. *smile* I prefer to have hands-on training where someone can answer my questions in person. For that reason, online classes were more challenging for me.
In June 2018 I received an AAS degree in administrative office systems with a medical specialization. Marie Flanagan was my medical billing and coding instructor. I really liked how easy she was to talk to and she really took time to explain things in a way that made sense. She shared her first-hand experience, along with textbook teaching.
Before I graduated, I was hired by North Olympic Healthcare Network. I am looking forward to meeting new people and being a part of a community of healthcare workers who truly care about the well-being of their patients and that Brian Kneidl (Director of Workforce Services & Partnerships at Peninsula College) is a great support system!
Worker Retraining Program at PC
Anyone who’s been through our Worker Retraining Program is familiar with Director Brian Kneidl. Now, thanks to a newly expanded title, he will be spending even more time in the community meeting employers and making sure college programs are matching up with local business needs.
As the Director of Workforce Services and Partnerships, Kneidl is increasing the amount of outreach he does with area employers, making sure PC’s graduates are equipped with the skills employers need in their businesses today. Two of the areas he is working more closely with are the college’s Construction Technology (formerly Green Building) and Advanced Manufacturing programs.
He is always on the lookout for new places where students can train or become employed and works with dual credit students, working on articulation agreements with local high schools. In addition, he maintains his role with Worker Retraining taking students from unemployment to employment.
For more information contact Brian Kneidl at (360) 417-6263 or email at bkneidl@pencol.edu
