The first round of Cambridge College/Encore Boston Harbor Dealer School is coming to a close this month, and as applications come in for the second round, Encore is putting out a call for Everett residents to sign up – particularly women.
Doug Williams, an instructor there from Encore, said they had about 150 students in the first round of instruction at Cambridge College in Charlestown, but not enough of them were from Everett.
They hope to bump up the Everett numbers in the coming round, and are targeting Everett women in particular.
“It’s odd because we didn’t get a large percentage of students from Everett,” said Williams. “I’m not sure if they were afraid or just didn’t take action. In any case, the call is out for Everett residents to apply for the next round and there are scholarships still available for Everett residents. We really want Everett people to apply and use those scholarships. We also have scholarships for veterans too.”
To that end, Encore is having a promotional event for Everett women on Nov. 26 in the Connolly Center to try to get more women interested in applying for Dealer School.
“We will have two women there who work for us, and they will be talking about how they got onto their career path for dealer games,” he said.
Michelle McMahon will talk about how she began in 2008 as a dealer and then worked her way up to becoming a trainer in 2014, moving on now to train for Encore Boston Harbor.
Sue Mason will discuss how she decided to try being a dealer in 1998, taking a class and getting hired on a whim at Foxwoods. By 2013, she had become a Pit Manager and will be one at Encore Boston Harbor when it opens next year.
“The career path right now is wide open,” said Williams. “If you go to a casino when it first opens up, there is a lot of movement. If you’re focused and determined, there are opportunities for everyone right now. It’s an even playing field.”
The Dealer School formed last spring and launched this fall with the first class of students. Williams said they are wrapping up classes right now and expect to be done by Thanksgiving. However, he said that 75 percent of the students have stayed on to learn a second game and they’ll be done before Christmas.
The second round will begin soon afterward, and Williams expects 200 or more students in that round.