Continuing Education: Where Life Commitments and School Meet

If you have ever considered advancing your education in order to take your career to the next level or entering an altogether new career, there is no time like the present to do so. The best part is that through Continuing Education options, you don't have to neglect your life responsibilities to complete your training. In collaboration with a college or university, a Continuing Education School is a place for adult learners to attend programs on a part-time basis — either by attending school on evenings and weekends or through Distance Learning correspondence.

One Canadian post-secondary institution that offers Continuing Education options is Centennial College, which is located in Toronto, Ont. Each year, this School of learning trains more than 22,000 learners in 140 programs with more than 1,300 courses and discussion-oriented classes that have resulted in a 97 per cent learner satisfaction rate.

The first option in Centennial College's Continuing Education School is to attend on-campus programs. This option is ideal for learners who wish to experience the classroom feel of a program, which may include partaking in projects, case studies, co-op features, field trips and more. In addition, the Continuing Education school at Centennial College provides experienced instructors who understand adult learning needs, offering flexible, learner-centered teaching methodologies; provides practical hands-on knowledge to place relevant theory into context and perspective; recognizes and respects both the level of maturity and work experience of its students; provides effective instructor to student ratio and an optimal classroom size enabling competent peer interaction. This on-campus Continuing Education option allow students to enter areas of interest such as: Accounting, Business, Computers and Information Technology, Early Childhood Education, Fitness, Media and Design, Transportation and more.

Alternatively, independent learners who may not have the time to devote to coming to campus have two options. They may either take on Distance Learning or Print Based Courses. The first option was designed with flexibility in mind and enables Continuing Education students to work through course material and assignments in their own time and space, with 24-hour access to the online classroom. Online course delivery saves travel time, while still offering similar in-person benefits of a physical classroom such as: a qualified and industry-experienced instructor, communication tools, discussion boards and forums, a sense of email access with your classmates, digital assignment capability, and more. The Print Based Courses, meanwhile, offer students the ability to work at their own pace, typically within a six-month time frame. Print-based courses are best suited to students who work independently with minimal supervision. In most cases, both delivery methods (online and PB) require that students attend the campus towards the end of their class to write a final exam.

All programs facilitated through the Continuing Education school have their own prerequisites and it's best to check each individual program's page to ensure that students have the necessary requirements to apply.