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Continuing Education & Training Services Recognized

By August 29, 2016November 28th, 2018No Comments

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (August 29, 2016) – Kirkwood Community College’s program for personal and professional development (Continuing Education) was recognized by the Learning Resources Network, Inc. (LERN) for best practices in lifelong learning.

LERN is considered the foremost association for continuing education and lifelong learning. It serves more than 2,000 North American continuing education programs.

The organization honored the college by hosting the LERN Best Practices Summit at the Hotel at Kirkwood Center, June 14 – 17. The summit showcased Kirkwood’s program as demonstrated best practices.

“There are a limited number of North American programs performing at the level of Kirkwood Continuing Education & Training Services”, said LERN President William Draves. “They are an innovative leader. The summit gave programs across the country the opportunity to learn about the factors contributing to their success.”

Last year nearly 68,000 students of all ages enrolled in continuing education classes. Continuing Education (CE) focuses on personal enrichment and professional development courses. In addition to offering courses ranging from cooking to yoga, CE offers certification or recertification and mandated continuing education for various professions. The program is also a pipeline to targeted conferences and camps.

“To be recognized as a leader in our industry means a lot to us, “ said Kim Becicka, vice president of Continuing Education & Training Services. “I’m so proud of the continuing education team. They work very hard building and strengthening programs for eastern Iowa like the rest of the college. The LERN summit was a tremendous display of their collective talents.”

This summer LERN released a special report about Kirkwood Continuing Education & Training Services. The report stresses the importance of being data driven, financial self-sufficiency and forecasting.

For more information visit www.kirkwood.edu/ce or call 319-398-1022.