Saint Joseph, MO -- (SBWire) -- 05/06/2013 --As part of a restructuring plan Energizer Holdings Inc. announced last November plans to close its battery production plant in Maryville by the end of 2013. That means more than 300 full-time employees at the Maryville facility and more than 150 contract workers will be without a job. American College of Technology is now offering assistance to those impacted by the shutdown who may be interested in retraining or going back to school.

“We’re going to extend a scholarship to help right now,” said Lute Atieh, ACOT Director of Operations and Technology. “So they don’t have to borrow any funds or come out of pocket with any funds while they’re losing their job.”

ACOT will be holding informational sessions weekly in Maryville for the next 6 months. Anyone interested in learning more is encouraged to show up to one of the sessions and talk about resources available. Those sessions will be held every Tuesday and Wednesday night at the Holiday Inn Express located at 2929 S. Main St., Maryville, Mo. 64468.

“So if you’re already been laid off we can help you,” said Atieh. “If you’re going to be laid off we can help prepare you.”

In the past 12 years ACOT has worked with employees from several layoffs. Usually Federal and State dollars are made available to workers who have been let go in a situation like this. Funding is there to provide new education to workers so they can advance their skillset to find gainful employment.

“We will help point them in the right direction if they are looking for training we will send them to the right places, answer questions that we know,” said Atieh. “Our goal is to provide the student as much information as possible”

ACOT recommends shot-term training for this type of situation. 1-2 year programs either a certificate or associates degree. Some of the courses provided by ACOT include: Computer Programming and Systems Design, Network Administration and Information Security, Business Administration and Information Security, Criminal Justice, and Health Information Technology.

“The way our tuition and books work is a fixed cost. With the type of funding that’s available it usually doesn’t cost the student any money out of their pocket,” said Atieh. “When they’re responding to being laid off that last thing we want to do is add another expense.”

ACOT classes are all 100% online classes so students don’t have to travel to attend classes or if they find another job elsewhere they don’t have to drop out to complete their education. Enrollments at ACOT are held 8 times a year. If you can’t make it out to an informational session or just want to learn more you can always check us out online at http://acot.edu/ or call (800)-804-1388.

About American College Of Technology
ACOT was founded in 2001 by Sam Atieh, with the principle to provide technical education that is career focused and delivered 100% online using live instruction. American College of Technology's Board of Directors has combined experience of over 100 years in the business and technology field. Each board member brings a unique and particular expertise to this institution.

Contact: Lute Atieh
Tel: (816) 279-7000 Ext. 120
lute@acot.edu