The Community College of Rhode Island will hold an orientation session for those interested in the college’s Comprehensive Pharmacy Technician II program at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 31 in Room 4080 at the college’s Knight Campus in Warwick.

CCRI’s Center for Workforce and Community Education will offer the 105-hour program from 5 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays from Oct. 15 to Feb. 13 in Warwick. Students then will take the national certification exam and obtain their state licenses in preparation for placement in a 60-hour externship.

Pharmacy technicians assist pharmacists, including filling, packaging and distributing medications as well as maintaining patient records and inventory. They work in retail pharmacies, hospitals and home health care pharmacies.

CCRI’s program prepares students to be Level II technicians, where they will have more responsibility and earn more money. The program is accredited and approved by the Rhode Island Board of Pharmacy.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, job opportunities for pharmacy technicians are expected to be good for full-time and part-time work, especially for those with certification or previous work experience. The technicians start earning about $10 to $15 an hour, but certified technicians can earn 20 percent to 30 percent more.

Health care workers who want to enhance their knowledge of prescription drugs also can benefit from the program, which includes training in pharmacy math, generics, pharmacy law, insurance and interpreting prescriptions.

Contact Sue Caressimo at 455-6070 for more information about the program, to RSVP for the orientation session or to enroll.