I recently had the opportunity to sit down with the coordinator of our Adult Upgrading program. And, though I have worked at the College for longer than some of our students have been alive (sigh!), I was amazed at how much I learned.
First of all, though we tend to refer to Adult Upgrading as a program, it is really much more flexible than most other programs at the College. Some people will only need to improve their mark in one class to meet the prerequisites of another program while others may need to complete several classes to earn their BC graduation diploma. In Adult Upgrading, your learning is tailored to your needs. And when I say tailored – I really mean it. Coordinator and instructor, Sharon Richardson, will sit down and talk about your specific needs and help you figure out the best plan to achieve your goals.
Adult Upgrading is offered in two ways: semestered and directed studies. Semestered courses are like most College of the Rockies courses. They have a specific start and end date and you go to class at a specific time once or twice a week and complete the assigned work on or before the due dates. Directed studies courses, however, are much more flexible. You still have a time limit to try to complete a course – either 15 or 30 weeks, depending on the course – but during that time, you can work from home when it is convenient to you and pop into the classroom when you need some extra help. Or, you can come into the classroom daily – or when it fits your schedule – for a quiet place away from distractions where you can focus and get your work done.
If you’re missing the prerequisites for other College programs (like Kinesiology and Business Administration, for example), you can enrol in the program and work on obtaining those prerequisites at the same time that you’re taking some of the other courses in the program of your choice. Of course, you can’t take the courses that you’re missing prerequisites for – but being able to start the program AND work on prerequisites for other courses in the program saves you not only a ton of time – but also money.
And Health Care Assistant, Cook Training and Hairdressing graduates – if you completed your program and have the minimum prerequisite of a grade 10 education – you can take just TWO Adult Upgrading courses to obtain your BC graduation diploma. Your program courses act as your electives. WOW! Imagine the employment opportunities that open up with that diploma.
If you’ve ever considered going back to school but you’re worried about your lack of a grade 12 diploma, about some low marks you got in high school or if you didn’t take the courses you need for your program– worry no more. The wonderful team in Adult Upgrading wants to help you to achieve your educational goals – and they go above and beyond to help make that happen.