Stéphanie Lavergne
The fall of 2009 marks the beginning of operations in earnest at the University of Ottawa's Centre for Continuing Education (CCE). During the Centre's first year of existence, efforts focused on integrating the Professional Training Service into CCE's structure, on launching a first series of program offerings, and on striking strategic partnerships with a number of national- capital organizations, including Laurier House (a national historic site), the Alliance française d'Ottawa, the Canadian Museum of Fine Arts and Ottawa's extensive network of embassies.
Continuing education at uOttawa has three distinct components: non-credit professional development activities designed especially for adult learners; general interest activities for the public at large; and the management of requests from adults looking to return to formal studies, which, because of the credit courses involved, is overseen by staff from each faculty.
Registrations on the rise in professional development
The University of Ottawa has been providing professional development opportunities to the public for about 15 years now, drawing roughly 4,000 participants a year to the 350 courses and workshops in this sector. Learners come to update or expand their skill set in a range of areas, including problem solving, project management and the art of presentations. This year, however, registrations are surpassing those of previous years. "The higher registration numbers might be due to the economic climate right now and the big staff turnover it's causing," explains CFC director Serge Blais. "Employees appear to be looking for ways to improve their skills so they can get ready for a change of direction."
Cultural and educational activities also drawing more interest
Also increasing is the public's thirst for activities that combine intellectual stimulation with cultural enrichment. In response to this quest for added value on the cultural and educational fronts, the Centre for Continuing Education is putting on multi-faceted programs like its embassy-hosted music series (for the second year in a row), introductory courses in Italian and Spanish starting in both September and January, and a fascinating series on the life of four key Canadian prime ministers—a joint effort by the University of Ottawa and Laurier House, a national historic site.
The CCE website has all the course and series details, as well as an online registration option (www.continue.uOttawa.ca ). For a copy of our brochure or for information on continuing education at uOttawa, contact us at 613-562-5272.
