There are night people and there are morning people. Starting in May, Ryerson will cater to both.
In an effort to provide the working student with accessibility and flexibility, The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education is offering some of its more popular courses between the wee hours of 7:30 a.m. and 9 a.m.
“Individuals in downtown Toronto or elsewhere will be able to stop in for an hour and a half before work once or twice a week and launch their post secondary education journey,” says Gervan Fearon, dean of The Chang School.
It’s all part of Ryerson’s initiative to make post secondary education possible for everyone.
The Ontario government recently released a statistic stating 70 per cent of future jobs will require some degree of post secondary education. Ontario has a high level of post secondary accomplishment at 62 per cent. “But the reality is that there’s a gap,” says Fearon.
“So the question is how do we, as a society, fill that gap.” By allowing individuals to “really tool and increase their post-secondary educational background and invest in what economists call their human capital,” says Fearon.
“We’re saying to our students, and to the workforce in general, that it’s a partnership. We’re willing to make the partnership with you as learners to advance your post secondary education and to advance your careers,” says Fearon.
“For example, our Project Management course. That’s something that someone could come into the classroom between 7:30 a.m. and 9 a.m., and walk into the workplace a few minutes later and apply what they just learned.” Since courses start in May there’s yet to be any feedback on how the classes will actually fit in with the workday.
But as one of the few schools offering early morning courses, the gesture is appreciated, according to Fearon.
“There’s been a general sense that we’re listening and responsive to the needs of individuals in the GTA in terms of providing really excellent accessibility and flexibility for education,” she says.
So if you’re an early riser anyway, use it to your advantage and see what happens.
“The vast majority of our courses are university credit courses and as a result individuals can put them towards a certificate or a degree that will affect their opportunities in the workforce,” says Fearon.
