PC Dean Aguilar Talks Affordability of Continuing Education and Tools for Career Development

PC Dean Aguilar Talks Affordability of Continuing Education and Tools for Career Development

Providence College School of Continuing Education Dean Camen Aguilar gave tips about the tools needed for successful career development, when she appeared on GoLocal LIVE.

"Part of our mission is to support individuals to transform their lives, to pursue knowledge, truth, and professional skills," said Aguilar, who previously was Dean of the Center for Workforce and Community Education at Bristol Community College, a position she had held since 2006. 

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Aguilar was previously program director of the Center for Innovation in Learning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenen-Flagler Business School. She also spent six years as global instructional technology manager for OneMBA, a collaboration among five of the top graduate schools of business in the United States, Latin America, Asia, and Europe.

"We work with learning adults — the mother who has a very busy life, with a family and job, that wants to upskill and get a higher position, or that person who wants to complete their degree and have a second career now — those are the things we do in continuing education," she said. 

Preparing for Future Opportunities -- And Affording Education

"It has been a very interesting and sometimes challenging time to be settling into this role and working to shape the future of the School, with the pandemic affecting all aspects of life, work and school," said Aguilar. 

"Labor market needs, and therefore the needs of adult students and professionals, were already changing at a rapid pace before the pandemic, and the effects of the pandemic have only increased that pace and made it more complex.  Now more than ever, both businesses and professionals need to be agile and quick to incorporate the new skills and knowledge required to meet those changing needs," she added. "So one of my first and biggest priorities for the School of Continuing Education is to ensure that our programs continue to evolve to meet those needs for employers and for adult students and professionals in a variety of ways."

"One way is to ensure that our degree, certificate and professional development programs remain very accessible for people," said Aguilar. "We keep our tuition very competitive, and in fact most people are surprised when they learn that the cost to complete a program at PC School of Continuing Education is actually more affordable than even the four-year state schools in the region (currently just $380 per credit, with no per-semester fees and very few additional special course fees). "

"We are also very flexible in terms of the ways people can take classes. We have greatly expanded our online offerings over the last year, and actually the majority of our summer courses will be online this year. We also have a variety of terms, all the way from an intensive 3-week course to a traditional semester-long course, so people can choose the pace that works best for them," she said.

Employers' Needs

"On the business and employer side, right now I’m meeting with a wide variety of business leaders in the region to help inform the development of workforce training programs and micro-credential programs for the future," said Aguilar. "I would welcome the opportunity to talk with any business leaders watching who’d like to reach out and talk with me about what their pain points are in terms of skills gaps in their staff and recruitment efforts."

"All those people out there who already know that they need or want to go back to school to further their careers and their personal goals, but they’re not sure how to get started, or they are doubtful that they can make it work due to finances, or schedule, or ability to succeed – those are the people that we are here to serve," she said. 

More about PCSCE

The Providence College School of Continuing Education is currently enrolling for a wide variety of bachelor’s degree, certificate and professional development programs, and you can also save your seat for a 3-week, 5-week or 10-week online summer course right now as well, which is a great way to dip your toe in the water if you’re thinking about going back to school.

You can find out more about all the programs and summer courses at the Providence College School of Continuing Education website HERE. 

This segment is part of a sponsored content series between GoLocalProv and the Providence College School of Continuing Education.