Monday, September 21, 2009

School's in session.

Fall is traditionally the busiest time of year for me. It is full of education sessions, developing new talks and reconnecting with clients. Recently, a few opportunities have arisen that are paving the way for a tornado of action come January. I'm not going to spill the beans just yet but I'll give hints later.

Anyway, St. Clair College has a great new program starting for those with an eye towards working with older adults. The Social Service Worker - Gerontology program is on deck for the Winter 2010 semester. The Windsor-Essex community NEEDS a program like this...it just doesn't know it yet.

I'm absolutely certain that the knowledge and skill taught in this program will be valuable in a variety of settings. As with any new program, employers in this area will need a bit of time getting used to the idea of hiring Social Service Workers with a Gerontology background. The field placement component of this 2 year program will allow students to get their feet wet before graduating - one of the best incentives for pursuing this certificate, in my opinion.

The other major incentive? Social Service Work is a registered profession in Ontario. Graduates of this program will be eligible for membership with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Sevice Workers. In otherwords, they will be RSSWs. This gives credibility to the program not available in many other college-level programs.

I would love to see some of the folks undergoing career makeovers give serious consideration to this as a field of study, especially if you don't care for the nursing profession but want to access the job opportunities that will accompany aging baby boomers.

Good luck to the class starting in January 2010.