As new and returning
students enroll for the 2013 spring semester at the Brainerd campus of Central
Lakes College, they are discovering another career education option:
Administrative Assistant. The reinstated program provides a
60-credit Associate in Applied Science degree path, with a 33-credit Administrative
Support diploma option for shortened training as a path toward entry-level
employment. Included in the curriculum is a
Microsoft Office Specialist Certificate that can be earned in just 19 credits
through six courses. “Many of the courses within the
Administrative Assistant program are Business, Management, Computer Technology,
and Marketing courses,” said Dar Houle, an instructor in Computer Information
Technology.She is excited to see that Administrative Assistant is back on the menu of more than 70 career education programs available at the college. “I see many help wanted advertisements locally as employers seek such office personnel.”
Administrators had been aware of
interest to see the return of this offering. It didn’t take much persuasion nor
re-tooling as so much of the curriculum was already in place from several years
ago.
“Our programs help students attain
the necessary skills required for a job in a chosen career field,” said
President Larry Lundblad. “Our instructors are experts in their fields. Labs
are equipped with the technology of today. We provide learning opportunities
for students of any age.”
The AAS degree will prepare graduates by introducing them to a wide
variety of subjects that enable them to manage and organize themselves and
their workplace environment. Students receive instruction in business
communications, principles of business law, word processing, and data entry,
office machines operation and maintenance, office procedures, public relations,
secretarial accounting, filing systems and records management, and report
preparation.
Students in the program receive advanced training with computer
technology that will prepare them for the constantly changing and increasingly
automated business environment. The degree combines expert technical and
business instruction with a well-balanced academic background.
The program prepares the student with training in computer
applications, communication, teamwork and collaboration, customer focus,
problem-solving and critical thinking, professionalism, productivity, ethics,
and leadership along with business qualities. Students are also prepared to
train and supervise lower-level support staff.
For information, contact CLC Admissions at (218)
855-8037, 800-933-0347 ext. 8037, or http://www.clcmn.edu/admissions/
