Continuing education

Sorry folks, but I need to get caught up.

First, back to last night's happenings around these parts.  It's rare that we have formal evening sessions during this gathering, but sometimes, because of time constraints or scheduling restrictions, it IS necessary.  Enter last night's happenings.

The evening session last night was animated by Dr. Audrey Penner, Ph.D. (Ed.) who is the coordinator for Continuing Education at Holland College.  As mentioned in previous posts, this week's workshop is about demonstrating to those present how it's possible to conduct a workshop (or a series of workshops) calling upon local talent to share their nuggets of wisdom with us.

In this case, Dr. Penner shared a number of insights with us about the role of Community Colleges vs. that of Universities which may be located in our cities and towns, but perhaps most remarkable to this listener were some of the statistics she presented, including the finding that across Canada, 44% of all students in post-secondary education have problems with literacy.

Another epiphany was the discovery that the role of Community Colleges is about anticipating the needs of their respective communities and finding ways to respond to the educational needs, at times even before the needs can be expressed.  Also, the understanding of continuing education not only in terms of formal education but most specifically in terms of any 'informal education' that helps us to better understand ourselves and to further our interests.  Reasons for pursuing education are varied, including the source of our motivation, whether that be internal (an understanding that I am personally responsibile for decisions that affect my future) or external (a belief that others will decide whether I have what it takes to move ahead).

People who are internally motivated usually will have a much better understanding of the importance of continuing education, something that we should all do, on an ongoing basis, whether it be by formal or informal means.