COC expands schedule as registration begins

With registration underway at College of the Canyons and school set to begin Monday, Aug. 20, the community college has announced it will offer expanded academic and career-related class sections for the fall semester.

To help meet the needs of new and current students, COC has modified or created more than 300 new courses and programs that will encompass the 1,900 planned class sections that will cover a wide range of academic subjects and career education disciplines, school leaders said.

“The needs of our students have always been our main focus when creating or modifying curricula,” said Jerry Buckley, assistant superintendent and vice president of academic affairs. “Our goal is to help students meet their educational goals, whether it be to transfer to a four-year school or gain new skills.”

Class sections will include courses that most students need to either meet prerequisites, graduate or transfer to a fouryear school, Buckley said. Five new associate degree options have also been created for students who wish to transfer to a fouryear college in a seamless way.

The schedule also features a wide selection of career technical education courses where students gain the skills needed to work in high-demand fields, such as plumbing technology, electrical technology and carpentry technology, according to a COC news release. In addition, several continuing education courses will be offered to students who would like to gain a new set of skills or sharpen existing skills through courses such as Spanish for health care workers.

“We have three brand new certificates being offered: workplace essentials, management toolbox and customer relations,” said John Makevich, COC’s dean of the School of Continuing and Community Education.

The workplace essentials certificate will focus on time management, business writing with technology and critical thinking, while the management toolbox certificate covers the topics of managing and developing staff, as well as communication strategies for the workplace, Makevich said. The customer relations certificate courses touch on best practices in customer service, negotiation and collaboration, and personality styles.

“These three certificate programs are ideal for individuals looking to enter the workforce, to retool some workplace skills or to advance in their field,” Makevich added. “They would apply to almost any work environment, as these skill sets are needed in nearly every workplace setting,” and all three of the certificates and their courses are completely free to students.

As in years past, College of the Canyons will also offer a number of late-start and short-term courses designed to meet the needs of working adults, COC officials said. The courses are scheduled to begin sometime in September and October.

The needs of our students have always been our main focus when creating or modifying curricula.” Jerry Buckley,

College of the Canyons assistant superintendent and vice president of academic affairs