Administrative Assistant's Update

7 Administrative Assistant's UPDATE Professional learning: Holland College By Staff As an occasional feature, AAU will describe selected college and university level programs for admins to acquire credentials. Please contact info@adminupdate.ca to share new and improved college and university offers for admin professionals. Administrative Assistant Certificate, Holland College Six years ago, Holland College, the provincial community college for Prince Edward Island, reintroduced a nine-month AA certificate offered as a full or part-time program. Students learn at their own pace and have up to two years to complete a credential that includes a four-week job place- ment. In addition to basic bookkeeping and accounting, students develop technical expertise in Microsoft Office. Professionalism, a stand- alone course, enables students to practice soft skills such as ethical decision-making, presentation of a positive image and conflict management. "These are important in the workforce today," says Sherri Roberts, administrative assistant program learning manager at the college's West Prince Campus in Alberton, PEI. Roberts and her colleagues work with an industry advisory commit- tee to receive feedback on changing demands of employers. "We rely on them as they are experts in the field," she says. As part of the course work, stu- dents manage a project from idea to implementation. For the past two years, students have run an annual craft show for local artisans. Students create posters, solicit vendors, book the venue, sell tickets and manage a raffle. The response has been positive from the public and artisans, says Roberts. Tuition is $3,893 with additional fees for books and other costs. Gradu- ates can go on to other specialities offered by the college, including legal administration and medical support services. Writing Tips What pronoun to use with than? By George Pearson AAU Editor Than introduces the second part of a comparison. Here are some examples: Althea is taller than I� Why use I instead of me? Because in order to complete the meaning of the sen- tence, you would say Althea is taller than I am tall. Though you would not actually say it, you do need to think it in order to select the correct pronoun. Another example: Sterlling Resources has deeper pockets than we (have). Eldridge likes Arthur better than me� In this case, the mental exten - sion of the sentence reads: Eldridge likes Arthur better than he likes me. Once you have mentally filled out the meaning of the sentence, the pro- noun choice becomes clear. Eldridge likes Arthur better than I� This sentence is also correct, but only if the intended meaning is Eldridge likes Arthur better than I (like Arthur). Meanwhile, I continue to pursue my own learning goals. While teaching fulltime, I contin- ued with my own part-time studies. Eager to improve my teaching skills and style, I graduated with a Certifi- cate in Adult Education from Holland College in September 2014. Gaining insights into adult learning What I learned from the program is that every individual, adults included, learns differently and that some may need more one-on-one teaching to en- sure they grasp the content. Moreover, I have learned that positive reinforce- ment is an effective teaching strategy. Currently, I am enrolled part-time in the Bachelor of Education in Hu- man Resource Development program at the University of PEI and expect to graduate in May 2017. Through this degree program, I hope enrich my knowledge of adult learning. From my work as an AA and my commitment to lifelong learning I have learned a key lesson: The sky is the limit when choosing where to take one's career. Skills Continued from page 6

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