New skills and certifications can take you further in 2018. UNLV Continuing Education offers a spectrum of learning opportunities to upgrade professional skills or pursue personal passions. Details are in the Spring-Summer 2018 Continuing Education Catalog, which is available online. 
 
Continuing Education is expanding its offerings with dozens of new classes for career advancement, such as business accounting and social media outreach, and personal enrichment, with classes like glass blowing and Indian cooking classics. In addition, the professional development certificate program features a new in-demand leadership program and a redesigned curriculum for medical assisting. 
 
The UNLV Organizational Leadership Certificate launches this spring. Students will gain skills to build stronger teams and successfully lead initiatives within organizations. They will also learn about setting goals, overseeing staff, and working well with others. The certificate program is geared toward new professionals or those looking to enhance their leadership skills to advance their careers as supervisors.
 
The revised UNLV Medical Assistant Certificate Program will prepare students in six months for a career working with patients or supporting the administrative functions of a medical office. The newly-developed curriculum covers a wide variety of tasks frequently assigned to medical assistants including scheduling, bookkeeping, insurance billing and coding, maintaining medical records, preparing patients for examination, assisting with physicals, performing screening tests, preparing medical equipment, and more. The program also includes externship opportunities.
 
The Personal Care Aide Certificate and Web Design Certificate programs also have been upgraded. The personal care aide program includes a paid apprenticeship component where students gain valuable hands-on training with a partnering employer. The web design program has a stronger emphasis on designing for multiple platforms and strategic content management. 
 
Registration is now open. Staff members with UNLV Continuing Education are happy to answer any questions, assist with registration, or to send a catalog directly to your home. Contact Continuing Education by telephone at 702-895-3394 or email at continuing.education@unlv.edu. View the catalog online any time at continuingeducation.unlv.edu/catalog.
 

He has become quite the expert when it comes to wine. Now Daniele Tavernaro wants to enhance your experience with sake. Daniele gained his advanced sommelier and International Sommelier Guild diploma from UNLV Continuing Education in 2008 and 2009. Learn more about Daniele in this Las Vegas Weekly feature article. 

“Maybe traditional college isn’t for you.”
That’s not exactly a statement one would expect from a major university, but at UNLV Continuing Education, we hope to be saying it more often. The alternative? Registered apprenticeship.
The President has been talking about expanding apprenticeship programs. So has Governor Sandoval. So what are registered apprenticeships all about?
For many skill-based careers where competency is gained with repetition and experience, a traditional post-secondary college program isn’t necessarily the best entry point. Apprenticeships blend classroom instruction with hands-on learning under experienced mentors. Progress is marked by education hours, yes, but more importantly tracked as an apprentice demonstrates mastery of a progression of skills. Registered apprenticeship is a solution and can be integrated into existing training and human resources development strategies.
Truckee Meadows Community College received a $2.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor in 2015 to expand apprenticeship opportunities in the state. The resulting Nevada’s Apprenticeship Project plans to train more than 300 apprentices in Nevada for high-skilled, hands-on, in-demand jobs.
UNLV Continuing Education is pleased to announce the launch of its first apprenticeship program under Nevada’s Apprenticeship Project, the Personal Care Aide Apprenticeship Certificate program. As America’s population ages, the demand for assistance with daily tasks is expected to rise. Sometimes just a little help can make independent living possible for an elderly or disabled person. When family members, friends, or neighbors are not available to provide needed support for independent living, a personal care aide becomes an essential part of a care team. Due to the hands-on nature of the job and a shortage of available professionals, the Personal Care Aide program was an ideal test for an apprenticeship program.
Personal Care Aide apprentice applicants are screened and hired through area employers. To begin, three employer partners will be accepting apprentice applications. Comfort Keepers of Henderson, BrightStar of Summerlin, and Visiting Angels in both Henderson and Summerlin will take on their first apprentices this fall. Applicants selected as a good fit complete 100 hours of personal care aide education and 15 hours training in effective communication and report writing prior to their apprenticeship. Tuition for this portion of the training is available for those who qualify through Workforce Connections partner agencies or Nevada’s Apprenticeship Project. 
After successful completion of the initial classroom requirements, new personal care aides transition into their paid apprenticeship with their partnering employer, where they continue to master skills under a mentor. Additional course requirements during the apprenticeship phase vary by employer, but may include CPR/AED/first aid training, employee orientation with the company, and focused in-service training for 144 hours total classroom hours. On-the-job training follows a competency-based model where students demonstrate mastery of required skills as they progress through the program. Apprentices can expect to work as an apprentice for up to six months and then will transition into regular employee status. Students who successfully complete the program will earn a national credential from the Department of Labor and a Personal Care Aide Certificate from UNLV Continuing Education.
Apprenticeships can be a win-win scenario for both employers and the apprentice. Apprenticeship programs offer numerous benefits to employers compared to conventional hiring and training practices:
Training customized to your business
Blend of classroom and on-the-job training
Enhanced employee loyalty and retention rates
Safer workplace
Stable pipeline of qualified workers
Increased transfer of knowledge from experienced mentors to apprentices
Financial assistance with apprentice training costs
From the apprentice perspective, benefits include:
Earn as you learn. An apprenticeship is a job, so apprentices are paid as they train.
Enhanced loyalty and retention. Apprentices value the investment their employer is making in their career. Working with mentors builds strong relationships with coworkers.
No educational debt. Education is built into the program, so there is no tuition to pay.
Apprentices earn a national credential from the Department of Labor upon completion of their program.
Prospective Personal Care Aide apprentice sites and prospective students can reach program coordinator Jodi Gilliland by phone at 702-895-5099 or via email at jodi.gilliland@unlv.edu to request more details about the program. Minimum hiring requirements are listed on our website. UNLV Continuing Education hopes to expand apprenticeship opportunities it offers through Nevada’s Apprenticeship Project in the coming months. Stay tuned for details.

A new Medical Interpretation: Spanish Certificate Program launches this fall and is open for registration. Effective communication between health care providers and their patients is key to successfully serving Nevada’s Spanish speaking families, work force, and tourists. Certified Medical Interpreters break down language and cultural barriers to ensure accurate, timely, effective diagnosis and medical treatment. Medical interpreters also play a key role in patient education; in addition to communicating important information during medical visits, they may also be asked to translate written materials including brochures, web content, and care instructions.
If the local medical community is to effectively serve both the local and visiting populations, the demand for medical interpreters will continue to grow. In fact, employment of interpreters in Nevada is expected to grow of 41 percent over the next ten years. UNLV’s new Medical Interpretation: Spanish program is the only in-person medical interpretation certificate in Southern Nevada that fulfills the requirements to sit for national certification exams offered by the industry’s two certification bodies—the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters or the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreting. National certification assures employers that interpreters not only understand the linguistic aspects of the job, but also the cultural differences that may impact doctor-patient relationships.
UNLV’s certificate program is five courses. Introduction to Medical Interpretation and Medical Terminology and Specialties will be offered in the fall, followed by Medical Terminology and Specialties II, Medical Consecutive Interpreting, and Medical Simultaneous Interpreting and Sight Translation in the spring. If you are fluent in both English and Spanish and are looking for a rewarding career in health care, attend a free information session or call Continuing Education for more information.
Program instructors Alvaro Vergara-Mery and David Loaiza-Funk both have extensive experience bridging language barriers between Las Vegas medical providers and their Spanish-speaking patients. Vergara-Mery is a Certified Medical Interpreter and licensed trainer in the Cultural and Linguistic Services Department at University Medical Center (UMC). He is in charge of interpreter education and training, language proficiency, cultural competence, translation, and curriculum design. He received the California Healthcare Interpreters Association’s 2016 Trainer of the Year Award and will serve as adjunct faculty at the new UNLV School of Medicine.
David Loaiza-Funk serves as the Chair of the Diversity Committee for American College of Healthcare Executives’ Nevada Chapter and is Director of Cultural and Linguistic Services at UMC. He has a master’s degree in health care administration as well as dual certification in medical/health care interpreting and a black belt in Lean Six Sigma for quality improvement. Loaiza-Funk is currently starting the Nevada Caucus through the National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives.
 
 

Back-to-school sales are popping up in local stores, preparing kids to head back to the classroom. Here at UNLV Continuing Education, we are prepping to get grownups back to class, too! The Fall 2017 Continuing Education catalog is available online and registration is open. Which of our more than 150 classes will you be taking to build career skills, explore a new hobby, or prepare for a new phase in life?
A new Medical Interpretation: Spanish Certificate Program launches this fall. Effective communication between health care providers and their patients is key to successfully serving Nevada’s Spanish-speaking families, work force, and tourists. Certified Medical Interpreters break down language and cultural barriers to ensure accurate, timely, effective diagnosis and medical treatment. Medical interpreters also play a key role in patient education; in addition to communicating important information during medical visits, they may also be asked to translate written materials including brochures, web content, and care instructions.
UNLV’s new Medical Interpretation: Spanish program is the only in-person medical interpretation certificate in Southern Nevada that fulfills the requirements to sit for the national certification exams. This national designation assures employers that interpreters not only understand the linguistic aspects of the job, but also the cultural differences that may impact doctor-patient relationships. The certificate program is five courses. Introduction to Medical Interpretation and Medical Terminology and Specialties will be offered in the fall, followed by Medical Terminology and Specialties II, Medical Consecutive Interpreting, and Medical Simultaneous Interpreting and Sight Translation in the spring. If you are fluent in both English and Spanish and are looking for a rewarding career in health care, attend a free information session, browse courses online, or call Continuing Education for more information.
The Fashion Design Certificate Program added several new elective courses for fall. Two fresh three-day Business of Fashion Design Workshops will be offered, with one focused on current style trends and the other on fashion marketing and merchandising. Fashion design certificate students are introduced to the creative, technical, and business aspects of the industry through five required courses, then take elective options designed to focus on an area of interest.
Continuing Education’s Human Resource Management courses remain popular thanks to dynamic instructors and a curriculum focused on contemporary management issues and leadership trends. The human resources umbrella covers not only courses directed at HR professionals, but also courses for new managers, along with courses in conflict resolution, communication, and project management that are useful no matter your profession. New for fall are Cultural Competency in the Workplace and Effective HR Analytics.
By student request, art instructor Gabbie Hirsch is offering Drawing II in the fall. Students will apply their freehand drawing skills to more complex projects as they study and practice useful techniques for bringing realism to their work. Time will be devoted to depicting glass, metal, and reflections. The three-hour time block allows for both instruction and guided studio work each week.
Please note the following policy change: Effective Fall 2017, students pursuing a UNLV Continuing Education Certificate Program are required to be enrolled in the respective certificate application course to state their intention of pursuing that certificate. All students (e.g. students who have taken courses in the past and new students taking a course in a certificate program for the first time) must register for the certificate application course in order to receive a certificate of completion. This policy will help us better support and track the progress of certificate candidates.
Staff members are happy to answer any questions you may have about programs or to send a fall catalog directly to your home. Reach Continuing Education by telephone at 702-895-3394 or via email at continuing.education@unlv.edu. View the catalog online at any time at continuingeducation.unlv.edu/catalog

Summer is a great time to try something new! Long days and Las Vegas' sizzling weather may have you looking for ways to stay busy in air conditioned comfort. UNLV Continuing Education just published its summer course brochure featuring more than 100 options for boosting professional skills, transitioning careers, getting creative, or venturing out of your comfort zone. 
If you have taken a class with us in the past few years, keep an eye on your mailbox for the brochure. Prospective students who are not on our mailing list can download the brochure from our website, or call 702-895-3394 to receive a copy by mail.

Melissa Moats has quite the story to tell -- from voiceover student to instructor. Read more in this article.

UNLV Continuing Education instructor Jessica Kennedy shares advice on internet privacy in a Las Vegas Review-Journal article.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/life/make-online-security-part-everyday-ro…

http://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/columns-blogs/paul-harasim/boomers…

Keeping with the long-standing tradition of providing training for Southern Nevada’s workforce, UNLV Continuing Education constantly looks for opportunities to develop programs to support key and growing industries. Two new certificate programs will be added for fall 2016 -- the Legal Interpretation Certificate: Spanish and the Fitness Business Management Certificate.
According to the Nevada State Court Language Access Plan, roughly one in three Hispanic households is linguistically isolated, with 33.7 percent of Hispanic households not having anyone over 14 years of age fluent in English. Court interpreters ensure language barriers do not become legal barriers for people whose primary language is not English. The role of the court interpreter is to provide written translation of documents or oral interpretation related to a case. Job openings for interpreters in Nevada are expected to increase 44 percent in the next ten years.
The program curriculum for the UNLV Legal Interpretation Certificate: Spanish covers legal processes and terminology, as well as laws and ethical considerations governing legal interpretation in Nevada. Certificate candidates will practice techniques for sight translation (written translation), simultaneous interpretation (speaking at the same time as the client), and consecutive interpretation (speaking after the client). The six course series prepares students to take Nevada’s state certification exams. Certificate candidates must be bilingual in English and Spanish; the instructor will conduct a language assessment prior to admission into the program. For more information about the Legal Interpretation Certificate: Spanish, visit the program information page at continuingeducation.unlv.edu/catalog/legal-interpretation-certificate-spanish. You may sign up to receive additional information as it is available.
The second certificate program added for fall 2016 is Fitness Business Management. Owners and managers of fitness businesses—yoga, Pilates, or dance studios, personal trainers, health clubs, therapy sites—are often drawn to the industry by the positive impact they can have on clients’ health and quality of life. Most soon realize they also have to be a wise businessperson if their company is going to thrive. Whether you are thinking of starting a new fitness business venture or looking to improve profitability at an existing business, it is critical to understand your brand, products and services, and target market.

To earn the Fitness Business Management Certificate, students take three courses. Business Development and Financial Management in Fitness teaches strategic business planning including market analysis, product/service offerings, marketing plans, operation plans, and financial analysis. Customer Service, Marketing, and Sales Management for the Fitness Enterprise digs more in depth into industry trends, marketing strategy, and sales techniques. Fitness Management and Business Administration is the implementation phase where students begin to roll out their business plans and refine leadership, management, administrative, and customer service skills. For more information about the Fitness Business Management Certificate, visit the program information page at continuingeducation.unlv.edu/catalog/fitness-business-management-certificate. You may sign up to receive additional information.

For a full listing of professional certificates offered by Continuing Education, visit continuingeducation.unlv.edu/certificate-programs.