The main focus at this year’s NCRA annual convention in Chicago was protecting our profession and addressing the threats facing court reporting. The need for court reporters and captioners is on the rise with a projected 5,500 new job openings in the next five years. The established, coming shortage of stenographic court reporters presents a one-time, substantial opportunity for those seeking a lucrative career with a secure future. NCRA is challenging its members to make contact with new graduates or those looking to change career paths to consider a career in court reporting. Grass roots efforts are springing up in states such as Washington, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Louisiana and Massachusetts. A program initiated by Nancy Varallo, CCR,RDR,CRC, and supported by an NCRA task force, Machine Shorthand A to Z, provides information to reporters around the country who will take small groups of participants and teach them the basics of the keyboard. The objective of this eight-week program is to identify those exceptional students who will want to continue their education at an accredited school and weed out the ones that are not seriously interested or don’t have the patience or skill sets to be successful in this career. Several Alabama reporters have expressed interest in providing this program in their local areas. If you might be interested in helping, please contact your local district rep.
Below is a picture of Cindy Greene — ACRA’s current secretary on the Board and reporter for Judge Robert Smith in Mobile Circuit Court – demonstrating her skills to her grandchildren.