There won’t be any business administration classes offered in Campbell River and Port Alberni in September.
But North Island College has found a way for students in those communities to advance their career and improve business skills with a new online Business Administration certificate.
Starting this September, the one-year certificate will be available in a fully online format to allow students greater access and flexibility. Students can complete all of their courses online, or face-to-face at the Comox Valley campus.
The online format allows NIC to bring the certificate to many more students in rural and remote communities. Face-to-face classes will no longer be offered in Port Alberni or Campbell River, where enrolments in the certificate program dropped to less than seven students in the 2012-2013 academic year.
“Online programs build on NIC’s regional delivery model and provide more affordable education and career options for all learners in all communities, even our most remote ones,” said NIC’s vice president of Education, Jan Carrie.
Online business courses will also be available to high school students across the region, through dual credit.
“Everyone has a right to an education,” said NIC instructor Linda Jay. “Having lived 10 years in a remote community at the end of a logging road, I am aware of the challenges of trying to access a proper education.
“I’ve worked with NIC’s online courses for more than 20 years and I am proud to see how our distance courses have developed into engaging, interactive online learning experiences.”
NIC’s certificate has been redeveloped to include video, podcasts, and a wide range of mixed media tools. It includes orientation and training to support the online learning process and introduce students to classmates and instructors. Students stay on track with individual and group assignments and connect with each other in online study groups.
Students follow the same curriculum as those within the traditional certificate, graduate with the same quality credentials, and gain a new flexibility to learn at a time and place that works for them.
The certificate provides fundamental business knowledge – from administrative principles and financial accounting, to economics and organizational writing. Students explore marketing for public, private, and not-for-profit companies, develop marketing strategies, and learn to use widely used business software. On completion, students can confidently enter the workforce or, go further, with NIC’s business diploma and degree programs.
For more information, visit www.nic.bc.ca/business or call 1-800-715-0914 to speak with an advisor.