Surely you’ve heard about all the programs to train Western North Carolina kids for brewing jobs. Now, Southwestern Community College in Sylva is offering a curriculum on shuffling and dealing cards.

The college this summer received $397,000 in a N.C. Return to Work grant. The money enabled SCC to form a job-training partnership with Harrah’s Cherokee Casino. The casino launched table games in August and needs a total of 500 dealers. . . . The partnership between Harrah’s and SCC is being touted by the participants as a job-creation model for other regions.

“I’m a card freak anyway,” [Knoxville commuter Rose] Kennedy said. “I couldn’t believe that someone would be interested in paying me to play cards.”