BERLIN — Gov. John Lynch offered words of congratulations and encouragement to the latest graduates of the WorkReady program at the Berlin campus of the White Mountains Community College on Friday, and several past graduates sang the praises of the program.

Lynch told the group that despite the economy, businesspeople come to him all the time and tell him they still need workers with people skills, telling him they can always teach new employees some of the other skills that are particular to their businesses. He complimented the group on their “stick-to-it-ness.”

Seventeen enrollees earned their National Career Readiness Certificate and the White Mountains Community College professional level Workplace Readiness Soft Skills Certificate in this latest group. Though not all could attend Friday’s ceremony — some had found employment and were at work and two were on job interviews — those who did step up to pose with Lynch and college President Katherine Eneguess got hearty rounds of applause.

Program coordinator Judy Woodward said the graduates have grown in confidence, are now better able to sell themselves, have a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses and know how to select positions to apply for that are better suited to them. The free program is open to those who are unemployed or working less than 30 hours a week.

The North Country program has had 79 enrollees in all, she said, and many have already found work, with two starting up their own business and several others going on for more schooling.

“It’s a program that needs to keep going,” Raymond Gorman of Colebrook said afterward. Gorman was one of three past graduates of the program who addressed the governor, saying the program helped him ready his pitch for job interviews and bolstering his confidence for his re-entry into the work force. He said anyone who is out of work more than two months should go through the program.

Gorman, who had worked at the Balsams for over three decades and was head of security and service when the resort closed last fall, is now employed by Northern Human Services as a case manager, a steady job with benefits.

“I really feel very fortunate,” he said.

The program helps students acquire the skills they need to be successful in the workplace: applied mathematics, reading for information and locating information. Those enrolled earn a National Career Readiness Certificate, using self-paced online lessons.

Participants work on their employment readiness soft skills — work-related behaviors in classroom settings simulating situations that occur during the job-seeking process and on the job. Some of the areas explored are job interviews, conflict resolution and team-building, customer service, workplace safety and communications skills.

WorkReady NH is available at the White Mountains Community College, Great Bay Community College, Manchester Community College and River Valley Community College. It is an initiative of the Community College System, the state Department of Resources and Economic Development, the state Department of Employment Security and the governor’s office.

For more information, go to ccsnh.edu/workready, or contact Judy Woodward at 752-1113 ext. 3206 or workreadywmcc@ccsnh.edu. The program is available in several North Country communities, including Colebrook, Conway and Littleton.

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Sara Young-Knox may be reached at syoungknox@newstote.com.