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Class Notes: Langara helps education program continue

The Vancouver School Board’s more than a century old continuing education program will carry on this fall with marketing and registration through Langara College’s continuing studies.
Chef Helena Kopelow
Continuing Education instructor Chef Helena Kopelow. Photograph By Dan Toulgoet

The Vancouver School Board’s more than a century old continuing education program will carry on this fall with marketing and registration through Langara College’s continuing studies.

The VSB cut the program that had been losing money for at least a decade from its 2014-2015 budget, for a savings of $514,410.

“Aside from the fact that we thought that this is a really wonderful program that shouldn’t just disappear, this has been part of the fabric of the city for a long time,” said Daniel Thorpe, dean of continuing studies at Langara College. “We thought there was a natural link there and that it would be a real shame to see that disappear from the city of  Vancouver.”

Registration for fall begins July 16. Thorpe said despite the contract dispute between teachers and their employers and continuing education summer courses being cancelled, Langara is “on track” for September.

Langara has added the 200 courses previously offered through the VSB to its nearly 600 continuing studies courses and will continue to offer courses at five VSB locations.

The VSB offered non-academic and non-credit courses to the public for a fee. Last year, more than 5,900 people enrolled in courses that included accounting, web design, English language learning, arts classes and cooking.

Thorpe says the VSB’s continuing education suffered as it shrunk while course catalogue printing and registration costs stayed “pretty much the same.” Langara is marketing courses through its website and adding pages to its print catalogue. Offering continuing education courses wasn’t part of the VSB’s core mandate so Thorpe expects Langara will see the formerly suffering program thrive.  

Course prices are to remain the same and offerings aren’t expected to change much.

“Where they have courses that are very similar to ours, we can foresee making some adjustments on the VSB side or our side to bring those courses into closer alignment,” Thorpe said.

Courses would be aligned to provide students with greater flexibility as they advance their studies.

Thorpe said Langara would cancel continuing studies classes offered at VSB venues in September if the teachers’ strike continues.
“If we were to have to cancel fall as a result of the strike, then you’ve got a long gap there with no offerings and people tend to find other things to do,” he said.

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