Education

8 Winnipeg Free press - saturDaY, December 5, 2015 cmu.ca IdeasLiveinCommunity...DiscoverCMU CANADIANMENNONITEUNIVERSITY ��������������������������� Assiniboine Community College offers something for just about everyone. a lthough its main office is in Brandon, it also has offices in Dauphin and Russell, a training site for nurses in Winnipeg, and it holds courses in Carberry and Neepawa. "We have lots to choose from if you're looking for a new hobby or want to learn something different, if you're interested in professional development or would like a new career," says Krista Powell, administrative assistant for the Centre of Continuing Studies, Assiniboine Community College. "We offer lots of hands-on courses, and all of our instructors have a wealth of knowledge in their fields." One of the college's newest programs is called Individual Fitness Trainer. It includes three classes: fitness theory, individual fitness leader and resistance training. "We're pretty excited about this one. This is something that isn't currently available in Brandon," Powell says. "This new program gives students their certification for working one-on-one with people or holding fitness classes." The course will be taught over a weekend, from Friday evening to Sunday. Students will attend class from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. on Friday, and then 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. "If you have a full-time job or other commitments during the week, you can still get your training in," says Powell. "We have a weight room and fitness equipment right here at the college. This is an opportunity for people outside Winnipeg to take a fitness-trainer program." The college has several professional development courses on the horizon as well. Some of the one- to two-day courses offered will include Book Keeping, Dealing with Difficult People, Finding Opportunities in Conflict, Customer Service, Interview Coaching and Problem Solving. A grant-writing workshop, which will be held in January, is free for those working at non-for-profit groups. "People who are nervous in interviews will get more comfortable and learn how to have a great interview in our Interview Coaching class," Powell explains. Several certificate programs are available through the college, including Human Resources and Management Skills. "We also offer a Practical Nursing Bridge, so nurses can 'bridge' from their certificate to a diploma," says Powell. Nurses can specialize in Foot Care or take Palliative Care through distance learning. "You can take our Palliative Care course from anywhere in the world," Powell adds. Assiniboine College offers many different human-interest courses, such as Chinese and Spanish, taxidermy and photography. Photography 1 is a six-week class that will be offered in January. "Our photography classes are quite popular. In Photography 1, people will learn the basics of using a 35mm camera, either old- school film or digital," says Powell. "This course has two instructors for 20 students." Photography 2 takes place in April and will cover macro photography, portrait photography and lighting. Wedding photography, which will be held in February, features tips from a professional wedding photographer. "Our students are getting the theory, but they also do a lot of hands- on work," Powell says. "A lot of people are interested in getting into photography as a career, but many people just really enjoy it and would like to do it for fun. I know people who do it in the evenings and on weekends as a part-time career." The school is considering holding a Power Engineering Fourth Class course in January and welding classes in February. It will offer Enform Safety Training in April. "Enform is safety training for those who work in the oilfields, or for those who would like to," says Powell. "We get a lot of students who are interested in the trades." New cooking courses, starting with Bread and Buns, will begin in February. "We have hands-on cooking courses, but we also have demonstration classes if you want to sit back, have a glass of wine, and relax while watching a chef," Powell says. ■ assiniboine CoMMUniTy College wide Range of CouRses at aCC By Holli Moncrieff for the free press Studies available at ACC include photography, a program to become an individual fitness trainer, palliative nursing, human resources management, as well as the upcoming cooking class 'Breads and Buns.'

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