Continuing education courses may benefit the unemployed

Continuing education courses may benefit the unemployed

Adults who have been out of the workplace for a significant amount of time or who wish to brush up on critical skills may benefit from professional development courses. Nontraditional students who wish to earn a degree or launch a new career may find that these courses can be a helpful start.

Schools such as Winona State University have Outreach and Continuing Education Departments (OCED), which seek to assist professionals who are re-entering the workforce. The university recently announced a partnership with JER Online to provide web-based continuing education and professional development courses.

With this partnership, the OCED has increased its online offerings to more than 50 courses in variety of areas including compliance, ethics, global business success, job search success, Six Sigma, small business development and technical communication.

"Business professionals who want to invest in continuing education need courses that allow them to work around busy schedules," said Diane Dingfelder, OCED director.

Later this year, the school plans to offer online courses in project management in partnership with Cheetah Learning. These programs allow students to reconnect with the business world in a practical way that prepares them for future employment.

Nearly one in four U.S. students take at least some college courses online, which is up from one in 10 eight years ago, Reuters reports.

By Mark Danson