Adult and Continuing Education Programs
The School of Alternative and Continuing Education (St. James Catholic Education Centre) is working to increase growth mindset in students through wellness programming, equity and inclusion, and credit accumulation through improved pathway planning in all schools that it oversees.
The school currently oversees an abundance of education options including: the Alternative Education Program (Turning Points/ABLE), eLearning, Continuing Education Adult Day School, Continuing Education Adult Night School, Summer School, Personal Support Worker Accredited Program, and PLAR (Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition). The school also offers Dual-Credit learning opportunities, Cooperative Education programs, and OYAP apprenticeship career pathways.
“Our PSW accredited program allows students to earn 6 high school credits in addition to their PSW certification,” noted St. James Catholic Education Centre Vice-Principal Jennifer Lentz. “We graduated 92 students this past year, with five receiving their OSSD, and we are on track to have the same number of PSW program graduates again this year.”
“In Cornwall, we are working with community partners to identify areas of need and to help adults achieve their OSSD in the areas of safe food handling and hairstyling.”
This year, St. James Catholic Education Centre offered three summer programs for students in grades 7 through 10. The program included a literacy and numeracy component, as well as fun sports and art activities. In addition, the Connections Summer Program was offered to serve youth at-risk of not graduating, or who are disengaged with school.
“We had 11 at-risk students that looked to gain either three or four credits through the summer,” noted Lentz. “The environment in this program is highly supportive, and these students can work through volunteer programs to gain credits, dedicating their time at movie nights, and helping to run summer camps. We had three students graduate at the end of the summer, and 38 credits granted. We are very excited about this program and the opportunities it provides to our students.”
“eLearning is another portfolio which falls under our school. We had 37 online course offerings, and 168 program applicants for the 2017-2018 school year,” explained Lentz. “During the summer session we had 37 teachers and 45 courses running. At the end of the summer 593.5 credit courses were granted.”
The school is very excited to be part of the Ministry of Education Adult Education Strategy, which began in the 2016-2017 school year. The three year project brings focus to regional programs and the existing need for adult education. The committee, which is made up of nine regional boards, aims to create awareness, build capacity and develop and implement innovative practice around adult education strategies.
“Our goal is to continue to grow, and to support people in our communities that are looking to further their education, change careers, or simply discover new interests,” concluded Lentz.