UWinnipeg’s PACE programs are offered inside the new Buhler Centre, 460 Portage Avenue
WINNIPEG, MB – More than 3,000 adults dedicated to learning new skills and enhancing their careers attend The University of Winnipeg every year, making continuing scholarship one of the fastest growing areas on campus. To better reflect the depth and scope of lifelong learning, UWinnipeg has approved creation of the Professional, Applied and Continuing Education (PACE) which encompasses both full and part-time certificate and diploma programs.
Effective in the new year PACE replaces the Division of Continuing Education (DCE). When DCE started 30 years ago, the unit was responsible for offering part-time courses, usually in the evening or on the weekend.
Today PACE is a dynamic and flexible option offering full-time programs, off-campus programs in partnership with other organizations, and programs that provide a pathway to University degree studies. One of the most important new areas of development is programs for international students.This year there are approximately 100 international students attending UWinnipeg’s PACE courses, PACE more accurately reflects today’s scope of adult programming.
“The name change really captures who we are and what we do,” said Erin Stewart, dean of continuing education at UWinnipeg. “We operate in a much larger educational context than we did years ago. PACE is a signal to people that continuing education has expanded and offers many new types of programs—not just professional development but new pathways to education.”
PACE BACKGROUND
PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS offers professional development programs for individuals who are in the workforce or who wish to move into a new career. Some of these certificate and diploma programs are offered on a full-time basis (e.g. Human Resources, Project Management, Public Relations, and Internet Systems) and allow students to complete their studies in 12 months. Students also have the option of completing professional development certificates and diplomas on a part-time basis. PACE offers more than 20 part-time programs, many of which ladder into degree programs, as do the full-time programs.
APPLIED PROGRAMS Most programs on offer are “applied” in that they are skills-based, jobfocused and include an experiential component, usually in the form of an internship. For instance, the Educational Assistant Diploma Program includes a six-week practicum. We also offer access programs that would be considered applied, such as the Indigenous Police Preparation Program or the Bridge Program for Internationally Trained IT Professionals.
CONTINUING EDUCATION More traditional continuing education courses in the evening and weekends are also offered, along with general interest courses (e.g. 55 Plus Program, Neuroscience Lecture Series, Mindfulness based Stress Reduction) which remain popular.
To find out more about PACE please visit: http://dce.uwinnipegcourses.ca/
MEDIA CONTACT
Diane Poulin, Communications Officer, The University of Winnipeg
P: 204.988.7135, E: d.poulin@uwinnipeg.ca
