TechSkills

by Genevieve M. Blaber
Whether they're recent high school graduates, or job pros looking for a change, students of career colleges demand the flexibility offered by schools like TechSkills. Encompassing more than 30 campuses throughout the United States, TechSkills provides adult students of all ages with an accessible education that aims to fit their schedules and goals.

"We've designed the learning module specifically to be flexible in order to meet the needs of adult learners," explains Gary Ennis, the vice president of marketing for the career school. "TechSkills can custom tailor a program to exactly what you need."

With course offerings in the information technology (IT), health care service, and business industries, TechSkills has created course curricula that require students to take charge of their own learning pace and progress. Although students are required to be on campus for 10 - 15 hours per week during their first month of enrollment, TechSkills allows them a great degree of freedom and control thereafter. TechSkills' blended learning model gives students the option of studying online and/or on campus, enabling them to decide when they study, how much they study, and how much time they wish to spend at the school. Each student is then assigned to an individual instructor whose role it is to help and support the student throughout his/her education. "When a student needs the guidance of an instructor that instructor is there for them," attests Ennis.

Depending on their needs, students can choose to connect with their instructors online, in person, and/or via the phone. They can also reach out to instructors and students from other campuses, making for a career school that offers not only personal instruction, but a high level of collaboration as well. The latter is exemplified through the online discussion forums that unite every TechSkills location, as well as the "loud labs" that take place on campus. These loud labs allow students to meet and work together in order to complete course-relevant projects.

Students who wish for more hands-on instruction, meanwhile, will be at home with the school's micro-labs: small classes of three to eight students that meet with an instructor for 30 - 40 minutes at a time. These classes are arranged by the participants as needed -- with some meeting on a weekly basis -- allowing for students to control and guide their learning process.

In addition to a highly personalized and intimate learning atmosphere, TechSkills has students practice their career skills in the real world. With the health care and IT vocational programs, students are required to spend eight weeks (120 hours) externing at a relevant site. As for students who are already employed in the field that they are studying, they can request that their externships take place at their current place of employment -- an ideal arrangement for those who are seeking to improve their current job skills and certifications in order to advance professionally.

From flexible programs to personalized learning, TechSkills offers career training and support that has appealed to over 40,000 students. Says Ennis, "We give you the skills to get the job."



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