Phone calls inquiring about free tuition for laid-off workers began arriving before 10 a.m. yesterday at Community College of Allegheny County, hours in advance of a news conference to officially unveil the program.

Officials said they hope those calls are a sign the public will take advantage of the initiative to help the region weather the worsening recession. A phone number -- 412-788-7351 -- has been set up for county residents seeking to enroll in one of five credit and certificate programs offered beginning in March.

The college said it should have enough classroom capacity to accommodate the program, depending on demand. CCAC trustees Chairman Tom Santone said he did not see the program as making future tuition increases more likely or larger for the college's 30,000 credit-seeking students.

Speaking to reporters on the college's North Side campus, County Executive Dan Onorato and CCAC president Alex Johnson said the idea is to quickly get workers who were displaced through no fault of their own back into the work force.

One example is the certified nurse aide program, said Judy Savolskis, CCAC vice president for work force development.

"If individuals attend full time, they can complete the training and the clinical hours in 24 days," she said.

The starting pay for someone with that training begins at roughly $11 to $14 an hour, she said. Officials said that may be less than the worker previously earned but would give the individual new technical skills that could be built upon.

Mr. Onorato said there is a bigger principle involved than projected program costs to the college, noting that county residents who had been employed helped the county in various ways, including taxes they paid.

"The question is how much is this going to cost us if we don't help these people?" he said.

To be eligible, participants must live in Allegheny County, have a letter from their employer stating they were laid off and apply for financial aid. The college intends to foot the cost of tuition and fees -- up to 36 credits taken within two years of a job loss -- that isn't covered by the aid award.

In addition to the certified nurse aide training, offered Downtown, other programs available include credit study in information technology support at Boyce campus, basic electronics at North campus, phlebotomy at South campus, and a certificate in emergency medical technician training at Allegheny campus.