In the News

People like Shua Brook, Mushky Ginsburg and others gained a professional edge in the workforce thanks to Geshem Center.


By COLlive reporter

The Geshem Center, Crown Heights' very own career center, released their Winter 2012 schedule of classes this week.


Along with a dozen of the usual 2 month course offerings, Geshem has introduced a series of four-day bootcamps geared for quick learners looking to gain a new skill over a short period of time.

"We recognize that not everyone is able to commit to the full two-months," said the Geshem Center Executive Director Rabbi Levi Kaplan. "We wanted to give those people the opportunity to learn new skills too."

The bootcamps are perfect for people working full time or having other scheduling conflicts. The 4-day courses cover a range of topics, including Programming, Networking +, Photoshop, and Web Development.

The Geshem Center opened in May, 2011 with the goal of providing Crown Heights residents with affordable job skills training that facilitates employment, personal growth and development.

"We want to give the Crown Heights residents the tools for success without having to go to a 4 year college," said Kaplan, "This way we can relieve financial stress, benefiting the whole family, and ultimately, the community."

Since its opening, over 150 students have passed through the organization’s doors and are on their way to professional success.

Rabbi Shua Brook, Director of the Family Division at the Aleph Institute, and a Geshem student taking the Microsoft Office & Quickbooks program. "I took this course because I wanted to learn how to run my office more efficiently," said Brook.

He said he is already implementing the new things he learned into his daily workflow. "What I gained, is much more then what I had initially thought I would. I learned so many new features and functions of different programs. Even in a program like Word, which I was already familiar with," Brook said.

Another student, Yanky R., is on his second web programming class at the Geshem Center, and spoke highly of the instructors.

"The teachers that I've had really responded to the needs of the students, adjusting the lessons based on feedback received and what the students were up to."

For Mushky Ginsburg, a student of two of Geshem’s design classes, it was amazing to be surrounded by a community of people who are as passionate about design as she is.

While she has been an amateur designer for a few years, she feels she gained that much needed professional edge from the center and now works for Spotlight Design. "What drew me in initially was the pricing, similar courses are at minimum triple the price," Ginsburg explained.

"Susan [the instructor] really cemented everything I’ve learned through informal education, she filled in all the gaps. It was amazing to be in touch with someone with a broader perspective who can point me in the right direction of the tools and resources I needed."

In addition to the bootcamp courses, the Geshem Center is also offering full courses, with separate classes for men and women, in GED preparation, Graphic Design, Office & Quickbooks, Web Design, Business Writing, Marketing, Project Management and Networking.

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