Looking for a great career option? Free NCRA A to Z® Intro to Steno Machine Shorthand program spotlights the profession

Reston, Feb. 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RESTON, Va., Feb. 8, 2020 — The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), the country’s leading organization representing stenographic court reporters, captioners, and legal videographers, has designated Feb. 8-15 as the 2020 National Court Reporting & Captioning Week. During the weeklong event the many aspects of court reporting and captioning that make it a viable profession will be showcased, including good salaries, flexibility, interesting venues and the increasing demand for more reporters and captioners to meet the growing number of employment opportunities available in the field. To further expose the public to the profession, NCRA’s A to Z® Intro to Steno Machine Shorthand program, a free six-to-eight week course offered online nationwide and onsite in a growing number of states for those interested in learning more. Participants interested in taking part in the program can sign up here. “Court Reporting & Captioning Week is the perfect time to share with potential students how they can take advantage of NCRA’s A to Z® Intro to Steno Machine Shorthand program, a free course that is available onsite and online,” said NCRA President Max Curry, RPR, CRI, a court reporter and firm owner from Franklin, Tenn. “This wonderful program, which is led by working professionals, is designed to help participants get a feel for working on a real steno machine by learning the alphabet and learning to write a few simple words. The A to Z program also provides participants with an opportunity to test the waters and see if a profession in the court reporting or captioning field is a good fit for them,” he added. NCRA is currently working to promote the court reporting and captioning professions by making onsite A to Z programs available in every state. Working court reporters and captioners interested in leading a program can learn more at NCRA DiscoverSteno.org. A career in court reporting or captioning can be the perfect choice for high schoolers who do not want to attend a four-year college, career changers, college redirects, and military veterans and their families. “Throughout the week, NCRA members will be upping their efforts to introduce to consumers and potential students why the court reporting and captioning professions matter in and out of the courtroom, the positive impact these professionals have on peoples’ lives and the many great returns such as flexibility in the workplace, the ability to work in different venues around the world and the capacity to earn high wages,” Curry added. Throughout Court Reporting & Captioning Week, court reporters, captioners, state court reporter associations and court reporting schools around the country will host an array of activities, including visits to high schools to showcase the profession, Veterans History Project interviews, volunteering to lead an NCRA A to Z® Intro to Steno Machine Shorthand program, media outreach, and more. Professionals in the field will use these opportunities to demonstrate how the stenographic machine works to capture the spoken word and translate it into written text in real time. NCRA members will also share their stories with the public about how they became involved in the profession, the interesting events they have reported on, and why their career choice has proven to be one of the best decisions they’ve made. NCRA will also support official legislative recognition of national Court Reporting & Captioning Week and rely on its social media outlets, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, as well as blogs to reach thousands of people throughout the week to raise public awareness about pursuing a career in the field and the important role court reporters and captioners play in capturing the official record, preserving history and providing vital services to the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities. Court reporters and captioners rely on the latest in technology to use stenographic machines to capture the spoken word and translate it into written text in real-time. These professionals work both in and out of the courtroom recording legal cases and depositions, providing live captioning of events, and assisting members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities with gaining access to information, entertainment, educational opportunities, and more. To arrange an interview with a working court reporter or captioner, or to learn more about the lucrative and flexible court reporting or captioning professions and the many job opportunities currently available, contact pr@ncra.org. Be sure to visit NCRA’s Press Center for information as well. Career information about the court reporting profession—one of the leading career options that does not require a traditional four-year degree—can be found at DiscoverSteno.org. About NCRA The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) has been internationally recognized for promoting excellence among those who capture and convert the spoken word to text for more than 100 years. NCRA is committed to supporting its 14,000 members in achieving the highest level of professional expertise with educational opportunities and industry-recognized court reporting, educator, and videographer certification programs. NCRA impacts legislative issues and the global marketplace through its actively involved membership. Forbes has named court reporting as one of the best career options that do not require a traditional four-year degree, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the court reporting field is expected to grow by 14 percent through the year 2020.