NORWICH – Approximately 20 people were on hand in the Eaton Center’s Serendipity Conference Room on Friday for the commencement ceremony of the DCMO BOCES’ Leading EDGE program’s 20th graduating class.

Speakers at the hour-long ceremony included Fire Chief Tracy Chawgo, 2011 graduates Barbara Palmer and Kevin Shackelton and Leading Edge instructor Matt Asma, who described the program – Education for Gainful Employment – as an intensive and holistic approach to job and life preparedness.

Offered six times per year and running five days a week for four weeks, the program focuses on resume and portfolio building, career exploration and improved reading, math and computer skills, reported Asma. It’s an interactive learning process that helps students gain self-confidence and learn the importance of teamwork as they transition back into the job market, he added.

In the coming year, Asma said the EDGE program will look to expand to a five-week format and offer certification training in CPR, automated external defibrillation, the Heimlich maneuver and other specialized training.