By Jim Devine
Staff Writer

In response to ever-growing programs and an increasing demand in technical education, Manchester’s Blended Solutions Technical Institute is paving its way to a larger and more educational-friendlyfacility.

The school, which will be moving shortly to its new location within Hampshire Plaza at 1000 Elm St., has plans to expand class sizes and certification programs that will bring extensive skills to those looking to broaden their technical experience.

“The reason why we’re moving is because we’re growing,” owner AJLambert said of his technical school, which will soon have four classrooms with a total of 40 seats available. “Adding new programs, we needed additional classroom space. We’re doing it for growth.”

Lambert has been the school’s owner and operator since 1994 when the school was originally known as the PC Schoolhouse. Now, as the programs expand, the company plans to delve into more nationally certified programs.

It will also launch Phoenix Digital Forensics, a servicecompany specializing in technology to recover deleted information for private clients.

“When I bought the place, it was really at the time a commercial trade computer training company,” Lambert said. “What we’re trying todo is make it focus on individual technical skills.”

The institute is a certified post-secondary vocational school under the state of New Hampshire and offers Microsoft Certifications,programming languages, database development and graphic design.

Year-round classes are available to adults interested in broadening their technical skills, but summer months allow the school to cater to kids through computer camps. Programs for kids include Web site building, computer art and photography, as well as lessons in building their own computer.

Programs vary from basic-level lessons in Microsoft Word that are completed in a day to complex technical programs that span weeks.Classes are available during the days, evenings and weekends.

The number of nationally recognized certificate programs offered by the school is growing with the number of technical jobs opening up with the changing workforce.

“Technical is becoming stronger right now because of the Baby Boomers leaving the industry,” Lambert said. “Now there is a void filling the occupational holes.”

The school’s greatest strength, Lambert said, is the staff’s experience and intellectual assets in the field. Technical class instructors have gone through certification programs recognized at the national level, and those without that certification have been in the field for more than 15 years.

The school also serves as an outsourced technical training department for corporations and hospitals that don’t have a department of their own.

“We deliver training as they ask us to,” Lambert said.

Training comes in all different atmospheres, including collaborative consulting. This allows those who experience difficulty to schedule a session to work out computer troubles with a technician who not only finds a solution but also teaches clients how to solve them without help in future situations.