| We
have an enthusiastic group of leaders that are committed to working together
to serve you. Certification Development Classes will continue to be offered
during this business year. Visit the Training Courses tab for a listing
of course offerings. |
Message
from the Chair
I Lifelong learning
is a fact of life. It wasn't always this way. My father worked at Gilbey's
Distillery in New Toronto for more than 35 years; at the end of which
he received a good pension and was set for retirement. In today's world,
with ever increasing technology gains and rapid product life cycles, most
people expect to change careers more than once in their lifetime. You
may be open to this idea; that is to learning a new skill, or you may
not like change all that much, but either way this type of change is here
to stay.
Which brings us to retraining and continuing
education. In London we are blessed with two
public institution that can help on you journey to a new beginning. The
University of Western
Ontario and Fanshawe College both offer courses in their continuing studies
and continuing education programs geared toward the adult learner. Courses
are scheduled in the evening on a wide range of topics. One particularly
relevant topic for the Quality Professional is the Fanshawe College Quality
Assurance Certificate Program. (Full disclosure: I am a graduate of the
Quality Assurance Certificate Program in 2003). The program starts at
an introductory level requiring the completion of eight courses, then
branches into two advanced streams: a CMI / GD & T / CMM advanced
program requiring seven additional courses, and QA Advanced Management
Certificate requiring six additional courses. Check the Fanshawe Continuing
Education Course Calendar for availability.
Still, if you're like me and can't commit 3 to 3-1/2 hours on any particular
evening for 12 to 14
weeks, there are many on-line options. Ontario
Learn is a consortium of 22 Ontario Community
Colleges (of which Fanshawe College is a
member) and according to their website offers
over 900 courses with an annual registration of
over 65,000 students. The courses are run on-line by the sponsoring college,
so registration is
through the applicable college during the typical
intake streams in September and January.
ASQ London Section offers preparation (refresher) courses for ASQ Certification.
There are 17 different ASQ Certifications that provide the professional
recognition and increase in salary that you deserve. According to the
ASQ Salary survey, certified members earn on average 10.86% more than
members without an ASQ Certification. For more information, check the
salary survey edition on the ASQ website.
So, although everyone's situation is different,
striking a balance between family, community,
workplace, and career goals is critical.
Continuing education can help you achieve those goals.
Additional Links mentioned in the article:
http://www.uwo.ca/cstudies/
http://www.fanshawec.ca/ and
http://www.fanshawec.ca/continuingeducation/
part-time-programs
http://www.ontariolearn.com
http://www.asqlondon.on.ca/Certification/certifica
tion.htm
http://asq.org/certification/index.html
|
As
a “Quality” organization, we aim to continually improve by implementing
suggestions from you, our members. While we have put several things in place
over the past year as a result of our monthly meeting surveys, we are certain
there are more improvement opportunities. Let us know what you would like
to see happening in your section. |
