(WAUSAU, Wis.) – Northcentral Technical College (NTC) is pleased to announce that NTC’s Workforce Training + Professional Development (WTPD) team has been recognized with National Program Certification by the Learning Resources Network (LERN), the leading association in continuing education. The recognition is part of a yearlong data analysis that resulted in the certification of the continuing education programs that NTC’s WTPD team provides to area employers and learners.

“We want to congratulate NTC’s WTPD team on this achievement,” noted William A. Draves, CAE, CPP, President of LERN. “Program Certification not only represents the following of benchmarks and best practices in our field. It also indicates the desire and commitment to improving the program and serving your community further.”

To receive certification, NTC had to submit a set of data to LERN and update that data each year. “The data represent the most important ratios in our field. A program not only has to calculate the data, but in doing so understand the critical role it plays in successful continuing education programs and decision making, as well as improving performance,” said Draves.

“These are rigorous standards. Not only do you have to measure outcomes, but follow best practices. The certification is elite, but not elitist. The outcomes are learner oriented and in the best interests in serving the community.”

Leaders from NTC’s WTPD team say that they are dedicated to providing high quality and community-driven options for learners. “Receiving this certification from LERN is a reflection of NTC and the WTPD team’s commitment to providing high quality solutions for professional development and continuing education,” said Dr. Brad Gast, Dean of NTC’s Workforce Training + Professional Development + Apprenticeship.

To learn more about NTC’s Workforce Training + Professional Development team and services, visit www.ntc.edu/wtpd.

Further information about the LERN Program Certification may be found at www.lern.org.

# # #

Northcentral Technical College (www.ntc.edu) is north central Wisconsin's premier two-year college of choice and is a resource for all District residents. It provides individuals, organizations and businesses with quality skills training in a wide range of programs designed to build a competitive, technologically advanced workforce in today's rapidly changing global environment. NTC has six convenient campus locations in Wausau, Antigo, Medford, Phillips, Spencer, and Wittenberg, as well as a Public Safety Center of Excellence in Merrill, a Wood Technology Center of Excellence in Antigo and an Agriculture Center of Excellence just north of the Wausau Campus in the Village of Maine. The Wausau Campus also features a Center for Health Sciences, Center for Business & Industry, Information Technology & Entrepreneurial Center (iTEC), STEM Center, Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Center of Excellence, SPOONS restaurant, Studio Max Salon + Spa and a Center for Geriatric Education.