From the tobacco field to the classroom: community colleges are trying to find farmers who need help finding a new career.

"Durham Tech is one of 19 community colleges that received a grant from the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission," said Teretha Bell, HRD Program Director for Durham Technical Community College. "The money was given to colleges that were in counties that were affected by the decline in the tobacco industry."

Altogether grant funds for 2009 to 2010 totaled $550,000 for "Project Skill-Up." Bell said a big part of the money will go to recruitment and outreach to find those impacted by the changing industry. Durham Tech received a $50,000 grant this year. It will provide free short-term training. Training from Project Skill-Up includes Keyboarding and Microsoft Office; Biotechnology; Medical Office Procedures, Nursing Assistant, Phlebotomy, and Esthetician. Training will also be offered in Construction, HVAC and Welding; Commercial Driver's License Permit preparation, Employability Skills and Entrepreneurship training for those who want to start their own business.

"What we tried to do was pinpoint the areas in continuing education and in curriculum that were going to provide the jobs in demand." Bell said. "The money that we got from the tobacco trust fund is to find those people and to get them retrained."

Bell said recipients can use the money for tuition, registration fees and transportation costs.

"We already know that they're coming back to community college to be retrained," she said. "What we're finding with a lot of folks is that they just don't have the money to do it."

Grant funding started in July 2009 and will go through June 2010 and administrators are interviewing now for the scholarships, which should have a cap of $500.

"It can be the farmer himself or herself or it can be someone in that family that was affected," Bell said.

Applicants to Project Skill-Up must be 18 and older and a resident of Durham or Orange Counties. They must provide information about how the changes in tobacco production have affected their income or their family. Call Durham Tech's Corporate and Continuing Education Division at 919-536-7222, ext. 4011, or email mcleank@durhamtech.edu to make an appointment.