If you think you know about all that the Continuing Education Division at Bainbridge College offers, you might be surprised by the array of options that are now provided.

Ann Wells, director of the college’s Continuing Education Division, visited the Kiwanis Club last week to talk about some of the 729 programs that are offered online and on campus.

People don’t have to be enrolled at the college in order to take part in a Continuing Education program. In fact, people who are out of work can undergo job skills training and have their class fees paid for after applying for help through the Workforce Investment Act, Wells said.

Another program which may help those who are looking for a job or thinking about a career change is the Georgia Work Ready program. For job seekers, the Georgia Work Ready test offers a way to enhance their resume. The test, which is free to take and is administered on Tuesdays, measures a person’s reading comprehension, their ability in locating information and their proficiency in business math. A work habits assessment measures work-related attitudes and behaviors.

Once the test is taken, a job-seeker can take the results to potential employers, who can then have a better idea of what skills an applicant can bring to a position, Wells said. Employers can also have job profiling done at their business to help them better sort through applicants using the Georgia Work Ready standards. Bainbridge College also offers skills  gap training to help people increase their Work Ready skill level.

Other programs

Despite the economic downturn, truck drivers continue to be in high demand. People can take a first-time CDL license preparation class through the college’s Technical Studies Division. Those who have had a CDL license in the past, but may have let it lapse, can take a 40-hour CDL refresher class through Continuing Education.

Other drivers can take advantage of the college’s driver education and license preparation program, or the defensive driving class, which may provide some with a discount on their vehicle insurance, Wells said.

Some of the other programs include: tutoring for school students, continuing education for attorneys and real estate agents, a bank teller certificate program, a Human Resources certificate program and an emergency medical technician (EMT) re-certification program.

While cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and Red Cross training is offered now, BC’s Continuing Education is seeking to become a certified training program for the American Heart Association, Wells said.

One of Continuing Education’s newest programs is called the Academy for Lifelong Learning. Designed for older people who want to continue to broaden their knowledge, the Academy helps set up peer-led groups who have control over what topics they want to learn about and in what format the classes/meetings will take.

For more information on any of Continuing Education’s programs, call (229) 248-2516 or visit Bainbridge College’s web site, www.bainbridge.edu