BCC Announces Workforce and Community Education Workshops

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC)'s Workforce and Community Education department continues to expand its, affordable personal enrichment and professional development
workshops and courses, announcing new offerings for the spring 2025 semester.  
 
"Our Workforce and Community Education department is constantly creating and growing partnerships in the Berkshires. Local employers know they can count on us for training the workforce in
a multitude of career areas, and we welcome the community to partake in our many workshops and classes," said Linda Morelli, Workshop Manager, Workforce and Community Education. "We're excited to offer a whole new slate of opportunities this spring." 
 
With a mission of helping people succeed in the Berkshire County job market, the Workforce and Community Education department offers a wide range of programs, workshops and services designed
to meet the needs of job seekers, career changers and employers. Workforce training areas include healthcare and social services courses for certified nursing assistants, community health workers, substance abuse counselors, emergency medical technicians,
phlebotomy technicians and more.  
 
Online classes are offered for certified paralegals, human resources professionals, HVAC/R technicians and professional bookkeepers, while corporate solutions training workshops are available for area employers. 
 
Upcoming personal enrichment courses, listed below, are centered around four core areas: healthcare, personal growth, art and youth. Further details, including course descriptions and locations, will be announced at a later date. 
 
Healthcare: 
  • Reiki for Healthcare, Level 1: Tuesdays, January 28 and February 4, 6:30-8:30 pm 
  • Reiki for Healthcare, Level 2: Tuesdays, February 18 and 25, 6:30-8:30 pm 
  • Body's Blueprint for Orthopedic Massage Techniques, Class 1: Unlocking Mobility for the Hip and Abdomen: Saturday, March 22, 9 am-3 pm 
  • Body's Blueprint for Orthopedic Massage Techniques, Class 2: Lumbar Regions and Addressing Common Issues in the Leg, Knee, Ankle and Foot: Sunday, March 23, 9 am-3 pm 
 
Personal growth: 
  • Developing Intuition: Tuesday, February 11, 6:30-8:30 pm 
  • Exploring Tai Chi and Qigong: Weekly on Tuesdays, February 18 – March 25, 3:15-4:15 pm   
  • Unpack Your Life: Mastering the Art of Decluttering: Saturdays, April 26 and May 10, 10-11 am 
 
Professional development: 
  • Massachusetts Construction Supervisor License (CSL) Training, Session 1: Weekly on Tuesdays, January 21 – March 4, 6-9:30 pm 
  • Exploring the Entrepreneurial Journey:  How to Start and Run Your Own Business: Weekly on Tuesdays, February 4-25, 5:30-7 pm 
  • Massachusetts Construction Supervisor License (CSL) Training, Session 2: Weekly on Tuesdays, April 1 – May 13, 6-9:30 pm 
Art: 
  • Create A Mosaic Garden Stepping Stone: Saturday, April 5, 10 am-1 pm  
  • Tree Painting Class: Saturday, April 5, 12-3 pm 
  • Create Your Own Mosaic Plant Stand: Wednesday, April 16, 5:30-8:30 pm 
  • Learn to Draw: Weekly on Tuesdays, April 29 – May 20, 6-7:30 pm 
Youth: 
  • BCC's After School Dungeons & Dragons Program: Weekly on Wednesdays, February 26 – April 30, 4-6 pm 
  • Financial Fitness:  A Teen's Guide to Budgeting, Security, and Smart Money Habits: Weekly on Tuesdays, April 29 – May 13, 4-5:30 pm 

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Community, Investment Keep Silver Screens Lit in the Berkshires

By John TownesSpecial to iBerkshires
This is the second of three articles in a series on the evolution and current status of movie theaters in Berkshire County. Read Part I here. 
 
In the wake of the 2020 COVID pandemic and its disruptions to the film industry, the county lost its two largest multiplex cinemas.
 
The 10-screen Regal Cinema in the Berkshire Mall in Lanesborough closed in 2022. Then in 2023, the eight-screen North Adams Movieplex in the Steeple City Plaza closed.
 
As a result, there are currently three full-time multi-screen movie theaters in the county — Images Cinema in Williamstown, the Beacon Cinema at 57 North St. in Pittsfield, and the Triplex Cinema at 70 Railroad St. in Great Barrington. These three surviving theaters in Berkshire County are totally separate operations and have their own individual histories and roles in their communities.
 
Nevertheless, there are also connections and common themes, including their downtown locations.
 
For a number of years, both the Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington and the Beacon Cinema in Pittsfield were siblings. Both were founded and originally owned by Richard Stanley, a South County real estate developer and investor who is also active in community-revitalization initiatives. Both theaters were established as vehicles to stimulate their local downtowns.
 
In Great Barrington, the primary destination for movies for most of the 20th century was the historic downtown Mahaiwe Theater. However, in 1988, it was facing potential demolition. That triggered a long community campaign that successfully saved and restored it as the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center.
 
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