UPGRADE SKILLS, PURSUE INTERESTS
Continuing your studies improves personal growth
With a changing world comes changing and evolving educational requirements. Continuing education helps thousands of Canadians achieve their goals, both personal and professional.
“The world has changed in the past decades,” says Marilynn Booth, dean of the school of continuing studies at the University of Toronto. “Students are going to have 10 to 15 careers over their lifetime. If you don’t keep up with what’s new, then you can’t get the opportunities you need. Seventy per cent of students declare they’re in mid-career, and 49 per cent say their primary reason for attending is to enhance career prospects.
“They’re trying to figure out how to advance in their career.”
It’s not just a changing job market that’s fuelling the interest in continuing education. It’s also a change in Canadian demographics.
“We have in excess of 28,000 enrolments and 45 per cent of those are born outside of Canada,” Booth says. “They have international credentials and come to Canada with multiple degrees, but they need help getting traction in Canada.
“They don’t want another degree, they want compressed and compacted courses, aligned with the needs of the job market to help them work here in Canada.”
Frankie Halls, the vice-principal at the Emery Adult Advanced Learning Centre, said he sees the same needs coming through his doors.
“A lot of our students are coming from different educational systems and have developed work skills in a different country,” he says. “In some cases, we need to start from scratch. Before they even start their subject area, we need to do pre-math or ESL (English as a second language) programs.”
Halls says his school offers tutoring and other services to help students successfully transition into the continuing education world.
At the U of T, Booth says the issue of language is not so much about the what, but the how.
“We have a very large English language program. With a number of newcomers coming to Canada, the biggest barrier is not credentials, but the use of English and cultural awareness. It’s not about learning English, but learning how to use it in the workplace.”
The workplace plays a key role in developing and maintaining continuing education programs, Booth says. Not only does the U of T regularly reach out to the market to see what’s needed, but the school also strives to have active participants leading its programs.
“At the end of the day we have to be totally responsive to the market,” she says. “It’s not about what we think is right, it’s not just about employers, but also professional organizations, it’s about value-added programs for students. We have 550 instructors that teach — we look for highly educated (instructors) and those who are working in the world in which they’re going to teach.
“To us, teaching is just a tool in the basket of how you engage the student. The role of a teacher isn’t just a talking head, it’s about connecting students to the resources they need to succeed.”
With programs ranging from professional development, such as certifications, designations, and degree work, to personal interest, there is something for everyone in continuing education. You just need to know where to look.
“There are five adult education facilities in the area and they all offer different programs,” Halls says. “You need to do some research and see what is offered where to make sure you find the right fit for you.”
With a wide variety of students, from recent grads, to those upgrading skills, to baby boomers looking for a new challenge, Booth says taking time to research your needs can help ensure you find yourself on the right path to reach your goal.
“You need to be a good student of continuing education,” she says. “The greatest area of growth is in business and professional programs, but we’re not just about jobs. Learning is forever.”