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 Continuing Education
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FOUNDATIONS - Continuing Education

Continuing Education enrolments reflect a concerted effort to provide quality in the delivery of learner-driven educational programs to adult and school-age students.  A very successful Continuing Education website has received almost 250,000 “hits” in less than three years, 120,000 in the last year alone.  Online registration has enabled a significant number of students a “fifth way” to register for courses:  Phone, Fax, Mail, In Person, and Online.

Continuing Education facilities currently include four adult centres, six secondary schools, four elementary schools, and eight private partner locations.  Programs are available 12 months of the year, 6 days a week, and from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.  A complete listing of current and recent programs can be viewed at www.sd38.bc.ca > Continuing Education & Summer Schools.

To date, Summer and Fall Quarter Continuing Education programs have served approximately 8,600 adult and school-age students, including almost 900 international visitors who come to us for short-term English, teacher training, and cultural immersion experiences.
The Adult Secondary School Graduation Program has achieved sustainable enrolments at the Rideau Park Adult Centre and this daytime facility complements others in providing credit course services.  It is the home of our daytime “quarter system” format as well as a growing after school tutorial program.  The “individualized, continuous-entry” adult program at Sea Island Adult Centre is providing improved access for working students seeking part-time, daytime, or evening course work and flexible scheduling.  “Night school” is located at Richmond Secondary School, a site that provides central access and excellent cooperation from administration and staff at the school.  Graduation Program courses are offered throughout the district in three daytime/evening adult learning centres (Rideau Park, Sea Island, and Mitchell Adult Learning Centres), one secondary school (Richmond), and two elementary schools (Tomsett and Woodward).

Career and Professional Development programs continue to  serve learners seeking to upgrade or  develop job-ready skills.  Certificate and diploma programs include:  Airport Check-In Agent, Early Childhood Education, Florist Professional, Medical & Legal Secretary, Business Management, Hotel Management, Computers, Office Administration, and Sales & Marketing, to name a few.  These diploma-level programs are now supported under the new Richmond District College configuration.
Chinese and Mandarin Programs continue to serve new Canadians who are in transition between languages and cultures and wish to join the ranks of Richmond’s lifelong learners.  On the other hand, more long-term residents are taking interest in the language and culture of China, especially the Mandarin language.

General programs include Arts & Crafts, Family Life, Foreign Languages, Health & Personal Development, Home Arts, Home Improvement, and Youth After School courses.  Online courses now number approximately 200 and are offered in partnership with our Ed2Go and ACT Media partners.  The popularity of the internet as a learning medium, especially for computer-related skills, is steadily increasing.

In the Adult ESL Program, a sophisticated assessment/placement process has resulted in the successful streaming of new students to both the ESL and Academic Language Proficiency programs.  Mitchell Adult Learning Centre serves almost 200 adult ELSA students (funded by the Ministry of Attorney General, Settlement, and Multiculturalism Division) per semester, in addition to 20 children in the Childminding Program.  In other Languages programs, Spanish continues to prove most popular.  A very interesting  Language and Business study tour to Beijing, China, is also arranged for March, 2006.

The International Visitor Program continues to grow in the service of these short-term (generally 2-6 weeks) program categories:

• English Language Training (ELT) for Teacher Visitors, School-Age Student Visitors, College-Age Visitors, Adult Visitors
• School Administration and Teaching Methodology Training for Visiting Teachers, Principals, and Senior Administrators, including district-level orientation and the B.C. Education System.

Continuing Education partnerships include the Ministry of Attorney General, ACT Media, American Hotel & Lodging Association, BIS Computer Centre, CARE Institute, Chuen Ying Art Centre, Delta Continuing Education, Douglas College, Ministry of Employment & Income Assistance, Grand Ballroom, Richmond Family Services, Thomson Publishing, Tourism Institute of BC, Wu Reflexology & TCM Centre, and several overseas representative agencies.  The Richmond District Parents Association continues to utilize Continuing Education’s Course Directory to promote their Association and its events.