BCC to Offer AI Essentials Training Course

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) presents a hands-on, beginner-friendly AI course on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Aug. 26 through Nov. 13.
 
Sessions will be held from 5:45-8:45 p.m. To apply for the course, visit www.berkshirecc.edu/ai and complete a workforce trainings application form. 
 
The course is designed for adults looking to develop career-ready skills by effectively integrating AI into learning and work. Participants will explore the evolving world of artificial intelligence in an accessible and practical way, gaining a strong foundation in AI concepts while focusing on safe and responsible AI usage. 
 
Throughout the course, students will get direct experience with cutting-edge tools like ChatGPT and low- or no-code platforms facilitated with Docker Desktop. Key topics include prompt engineering, understanding AI models, and leveraging AI for coding, research, and automation. Students will also work with retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and agentic AI, explore AI-powered workflows, and dive into machine learning fundamentals — all while maintaining a strong focus on ethical AI use and its limitations. 
 
Completing the AI Essentials course opens doors to a wide range of job opportunities for people just starting out, switching careers, or boosting their current role in areas of employment including: 
 
  • AI Solutions Engineer 
  • Data Labeler/Annotator 
  • QA/AI Tester 
  • Prompt Engineering (Junior level) 
  • Hybrid Roles (with AI + existing experience), including Admin or Ops Assistant (with AI tools) and Marketing or Communications Support (AI-Generated content) 
 
For more information, email workforce@berkshirecc.edu or call (413) 236-2115. 

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Dalton Eyes New Software to Streamline Payroll

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — Since taking on the role of town manager, Eric Anderson has been finding ways to streamline operations to save on labor hours — now he is eyeing improving workforce management. 
 
"By my rough math, we're chewing up some 1,500 hours a year doing payroll, and there's just no reason for that. The way we're doing it now is incredibly inefficient," he told the Select Board last week. 
 
The board approved Anderson's recommendation to undergo contract negotiations with TimeClock Plus, a scheduling software designed to simplify employee time tracking and workforce management.
 
The town has 62 paid employees who currently submit their timesheets on paper, which are then manually reviewed by department heads, who calculate hours, vacation time, and prepare cover sheets before forwarding them to the treasurer or town manager to be approved. 
 
The assistant treasurer then spends several days each week processing the town's payroll, Anderson said. 
 
As part of his efforts to streamline this process, Anderson looked at multiple different services narrowing it down to TimeClock Plus, or TCP, because of its ease of integration with the town's regular financial software and that it's commonly used by municipalities. 
 
"Some of the payroll programs are designed to go directly to payroll companies, but since we do our payroll in house, this cuts all the manual correlation, and it filters directly into our existing [Enterprise Resource Planning] financial software," he said. 
 
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