Education

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS - THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016 3 Employers want trained workers with skills ready to go. That's why we provide innovative, real-world education and it's no accident our grads have over 80% placement rates. Our flexible and modern approach, programs designed with industry and our award-winning instructors give MITT training the edge. Success for our students and their employers is our #1 goal. mitt.ca 204.989.6500 info@mitt.ca Ask for our 2016-17 Viewbook and enrolment info poster A V e GET STARTED VIEWBOOK 2016.2017 WE BUILD SUCCESS O nline courses have made higher education accessible for a previously untapped group of students. "People who didn't have access to education before are accessing it now," says Kerry Swanson, president of Herzing College. "We have the only programs ideally suited to those who want to advance their careers but who can't take enough time off work to make it happen." Swanson suspects that anyone who hasn't taken an online course may have the wrong impression. "When most people think of online learning, they think they're left to do all the studying on their own with no interaction with other students," he says. "We offer regular interaction and dialogue with students and instructors. Students are able to post questions and get answers. It mimics what's going on in the classroom." Termed "flexible education," these online courses run at the same time as their classroom equivalents so students who need extra help can go to class as well. "This has opened up opportunities for people who can't physically be in a classroom all day. A lot of students enjoy having that dialogue with their fellow students and the instructors online," says Swanson. "This is the new frontier of education." The Chartered Professional Accountants (CPAs) of Manitoba have also developed a program that's more accessible to mature students. Their advanced certificate in accounting and finance offers students more flexibility because the training can be spread over a number of years. "There's no time limit as to when it needs to be completed," says Sheri Moerkerk, director of marketing, communications and business development, adding that the program just launched last September. "It provides job-ready skills for someone who wants to work in the accounting or finance fields." While the graduates of the new program do not receive a designation, they are qualified for a wide variety of occupations in the accounting and finance industries. The official CPA designation is a much longer commitment. "It's a pretty serious time commitment. A university degree is a requirement to get a CPA designation, and the program itself typically takes three years while you are working," Moerkerk says, adding that 15-25 hours per week of studying is the norm. "It's not possible to do this program without the support of your employer, family and friends." Though the program may be challenging, Moerkerk says it's more than worth it. In addition to earning their professional designation, CPAs can work almost anywhere. "We have members working in sports and events, in marketing and sales and in human resources. They're presidents of companies, they're managers, analysts, entrepreneurs and consultants," she adds. "Any department in any organization does or could have a CPA working in it, and compensation for CPAs is tremendously rewarding as well." The CPA course is a post-graduate program with a practical experience requirement. "Ninety-nine per cent of CPA students are employed while they're in the program. You're studying something that is very relevant to what you're doing during the day at work," says Moerkerk. "Most of the time our students already have a role that meets the practical experience requirement." The CPA designation is a new merging of the former CA, CGA and CMA designations. "There's still a little bit of confusion over it, as one of the designations didn't require a university degree. That's changed, but there are some long and winding paths students can take if they don't have a degree," Moerkerk says. "We have a business-development team that helps with academic counselling. Each student is individually assessed." "This has opened up opportunities for people who can't physically be in a classroom all day." ACCOUNTING & HERZING FLEXIBLE EDUCATION By Holli Moncrieff for the Free Press Advancing your career has never been easier. Gone are the days when going back to school meant you had to sit in a classroom full time.

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