The Centre for Continuing Education is breathing new life into adult education at the University of Ottawa. Serving as the University’s principal entry point for adult learners, this fall, the centre will offer a variety of not-for-credit courses to the general public.
The centre has two main programming components: professional training and general interest courses. The Professional Training Service welcomes more than 4,000 adult learners each year from both public and private organizations. With 15 regular instructors and an extensive list of courses, the choices available are numerous. However, if clients are unable to find courses that meet their particular career or personal learning requirements, tailor-made courses and curriculum will be developed for them. The service also offers on-site training.
In addition, the centre is now offering unique non-credit general interest courses to the public. “There is a huge appetite in the general population for programs and courses that offer opportunities for intellectual development,” explains Serge Blais, director of the new centre. “We’re just starting and our first fall offering is modest but varied. The programming has been developed in response to the expressed needs and interests of anglophone and francophone communities. We are planning to offer several other courses over the next few months.”
Among the offerings are a four-part lecture series on ancient music (in English). This will take place in the private residences of ambassadors and politicians. And in French, Michel Prévost, the University’s archivist, will present “Francophone Heritage of Ottawa.” There will also be (in French) “An Introduction to the Canadian Legal System” and a presentation on the power of photography by photographer and journalist Alain Desvergnes and the official photographer for former prime ministers Pierre Trudeau and Jean Chrétien, Jean-Marc Carisse.
In the upcoming years, new courses and programs will be added based upon clients’ needs and interests and based upon new partnerships. The centre is working closely with the faculties that already offer adult learning opportunities, and developing external partnerships, such as the one between it and the Centre and Library and Archives Canada. “We will be working in close association with key organizations of the federal capital such as museums, national associations, cultural agencies and the arts sectors in general,” says Blais.
For more information on courses and programs offered by the Centre for Continuing Education, or to offer suggestions and ideas, visit www.continue.uOttawa.ca.
