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Going to school, no matter what your age, isn’t easy; but imagine deciding, as a mature student, that you want to go back and finish what you started or learn entirely new skills. That is one impressive challenge.
Many people made a move into the workforce at an early age, some having dropped out of school prior to actually getting their high school diploma, believing that the companies they’d work for offered long-standing and secure jobs. Times are tough, things have changed and some have found themselves out of work with not enough education or experience to do anything more than what they’ve done for 20+ years. The impact: many unemployed labourers pondering what they want to do when they “grow up.”
Some completed high school with basic credits and are now considering college or university after all these years but preparatory credits are required for program acceptance. When do get these credits without impacting the hours you work at your current day job?
Making it even more challenging, imagine having moved to North America from a country where English is not the first language or maybe not spoken at all. Where do you go to learn how to speak this new language, and fast?
All across Ontario, and throughout North America, school systems provide Continuing Education Centres for those who wish to go back to school either to get their high school certificate, learn a new language, or prepare for further education. The big advantage is they offer day- or night-school sessions so many can continue working while improving on what they already do well. With so many choosing to pursue adult learning opportunities, how does a school system manage 20,000 to 40,000 registrations a year? By using programs such as ContinuED that simplify registration, eliminate the cost of printing and paper, streamline communication and manage the necessary reporting a board must track for the Ministry of Education and other mandated agencies.
I would like to send my kudos to all of those who have chosen to improve on their education, and to the school systems that make this possible. Without this opportunity, our world would (and will) be a much different place.
