By Christine Graf
Metrix Online Learning is being offered free of charge to residents and businesses in Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties.
The online learning platform was developed by Albany-based NY Wired for Education. It features more than 5,000 different courses in everything from Microsoft Office to disease prevention. The majority fall under the categories of information technology, basic business, retail service, manufacturing, and healthcare.
Classes are available online and can be accessed any time of day, any day of the week.
Subscription costs for Metrix Online Learning are paid for by the three-county consortium of one-stop career centers in Warren, Saratoga, and Washington counties. These centers are located in Glens Falls, Ballston Spa, and Fort Edward and are funded by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The WIOA was designed to strengthen and improve the country’s workforce.
According to Liza Ochsendorf, director of Warren County Employment & Training Administration, the consortium pays for unlimited licenses for the Metrix Online Learning program. As a result, their clients and business partners and are able to access the platform free of charge.
Registering for Metrix Online Learning is typically done in person at one of the three county career centers. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, users are now able to register virtually. Registration is not limited to career center clients. Anyone who resides in one of the three counties is eligible to use the platform free of charge.
After registering, users will receive unlimited access to all course offerings for a period of six months. After that, they will need to visit one of the career centers to renew their free membership.
The list of courses is extensive. The website is sww.metrixlearning.com. Jobs in healthcare fields and clerical skills are highly featured.
“This is an opportunity for people who are unemployed or unemployed to increase their skill sets. Or, if they are looking for a career change, they can use it to assess where there strengths are in these different fields,” said Ochsendorf. “It also provides an opportunity for businesses to up-skill their employees. We have hotels that are currently using Metrix, and they are using this downtime to up-skill some of their employees on hospitality courses.”
According to Ochsendorf, the consortium has been offering free usage of Metrix for several years. They are working to make more individuals and businesses aware of its availability.
“We want to continue to expand the use of Metrix. We could even use it for recruiting,” she said. “For example, an employer could say they only wanted to interview people who scored over 80 percent on certain hospitality courses.”
She said it also possible for businesses to customize courses offerings. The opportunity for course customization is included as part of the consortium’s contract with Metrix.
“Historically, Metrix has been used for individuals,” said Ochsendorf. “Now we are pushing it out where it can be used more for organizations and businesses to up-skill their employees. The goal ultimately is that we get more businesses to use it as a pre-screening took, and we can help them with that.”
For more information, visit www.thejoblink.org.