Two Government Employees Advance Their Training Through Online Certificate Program at RichmondCC

Sheila Trotter has been the deputy finance officer for Richmond County government for a decade, but she was able to gain more skills and knowledge for her job by completing the Public Administration Certificate from Richmond Community College.

“By earning this certification, I was able to learn even more about my responsibilities and accountability to the public,” Trotter said. “This program also was my first exposure to human resources.”

The Public Administration Certificate is an online college credit program designed for people who are working in the public sector or who wish to find employment in the public sector. The program includes six online classes that cover these topics: public administration, principles of management, ethics in government, public finance and budgeting, public policy analysis and human resources management.

Trotter has two bachelor’s degrees from NC State University, one in business management and the other in economics.

“This certification allowed me to be exposed to the various topics and gave me additional insight into whether or not I want to continue on to the master’s program in public administration,” Trotter said. “I believe these courses would benefit all government employees.”

Another Richmond County government employee who also benefited from the online certificate program is Donna Whitley. She is an accounting assistant in the Finance Department.

“I definitely would recommend this program especially to individuals who have previously worked in the private sector and are now working in government entities,” Whitley said. “I have worked in the private sector for all of my career, and three years ago I had the opportunity to join the Richmond County Finance Department. It was very interesting to me to actually learn why a government handles things differently than a private company. It was also interesting to gain insight from the management viewpoint and also the Human Resources viewpoint.”

Both Trotter and Whitley said they enjoyed being enrolled in the program and it was convenient to complete with the online format.

“With all of my classes being online, it made it much easier to balance school into my schedule and by taking just two classes per semester,” Trotter said.

Government jobs within North Carolina exist at the federal, state and local level. In fact, government employees represent the second largest employment sector in the state, after the Trade, Transportation and Utilities sector. These jobs tend to be permanent and come with significant benefits .

“At Richmond Community College, we recognized the employment opportunities in the public sector and started the Public Administration program,” Dr. Devon Hall, Dean of Applied Sciences and Engineering, said. “As an added incentive to encourage people to develop skills in this growing area, these classes are offered online.”

For more information about the Public Administration Certificate and how to enroll, contact Hall at (910) 410-1912 or dghall@richmondcc.edu.