ATG Rehab now offers continuing education courses, for professionals in the medical field, that can be taken anywhere you want --- at home, in the office, anywhere. They're delivered in the form of online modules and Webinars, but can also be taken in-person and in-facility if desired.

An article in Home Care magazine tells all about it --- ATG: We'll Bring the Teachers to You

"We want to bring education in different forms and formats, in person and online, both free and for a charge, in a Webinar form, in an online form, tailored or specialized," said Jerry Knight, president of northwestern regional operations for ATG Rehab, a top nationwide complex rehab provider.

Sounds like they aim to please. Have you earned CEUs this way? Talk to us!

Continuing Education Anywhere You Want It originally appeared on About.com Continuing Education on Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 at 07:56:51.

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Say you've lost your job, or don't like your current one, you get a $40,000 loan for a two-year degree and go back to school with the promise of a great high-paying job doing something you love, and it all turns out to be a lie.

What then?

Peter Goodman wrote about this growing problem for The New York Times in The New Poor: In Hard Times, Lured Into Trade School and Debt.

I've promoted trade school as a way to change your life: Learn a Trade, Find a Job.

Here's the thing. You don't have to go into debt to learn a trade and find a great new job. Do your homework. Check out the great prices at most community colleges. Shop around.

And know, before you go to school, what your job prospects will be upon graduation.

Has trade school gone bad for you? Or good? Tell us your story.

Does Trade School Have a Backlash? originally appeared on About.com Continuing Education on Monday, March 15th, 2010 at 07:22:33.

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I saw some AARP commercials while watching movies the other day. Like most people, I usually use commercial time to visit the fridge or the bathroom, but these caught my eye.

They're a collage of people in the prime of life saying what they've always wanted to do: write a book, start a business, learn a new language, sail...the list sounds fun.

The point is clear. It's never too late to learn something new, to reinvent yourself, to do what you've always wanted to do.

What's on your list? How can you make it happen?

I've Always Wanted To... originally appeared on About.com Continuing Education on Sunday, March 14th, 2010 at 15:38:33.

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I found Christi Aldridge this morning. She's a non-trad at Texas Christian University, and she's having a little trouble communicating with some of her fellow students.

She doesn't know what a "creeper" is. They laugh when she says "bunk."

"I felt so retro," Aldridge wrote, "like shag carpeting or my mom's platform shoes.

"When I told my boyfriend, he said he didn't know why I still spoke like I was in seventh grade, and I should 'try and talk like normal people.' "

I'm all for fitting in and keeping up with "modern" lingo, but sheesh. You could also consider that Aldridge's peers could see her as an opportunity to study history. And I don't mean that as a cut. Really. Let's have a little give and take here.

Have you encountered slang on campus you don't understand? Let's hear it. If it's clean, that is.

When Slang Is a Completely New Language originally appeared on About.com Continuing Education on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 09:06:26.

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My editor, Madeleine Burry, and I have been talking about building a collection of school profiles to help people decide where they may want to take continuing education classes. I have three on the site right now:

• University of Florida
• University of North Dakota
• One Day University

I also have a collection of Sierra's Top 10 Green Schools.

Why Florida and North Dakota? They have great, and giant, continuing ed. programs. But there are lots of others.

What do you want to know about a school when you're thinking about signing up for a continuing ed. program? Help me build this new collection to be what you want it to be. Talk to me.

School Profiles - What Do You Want to Know About a School? originally appeared on About.com Continuing Education on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 08:00:47.

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Eighty-year-old Ora Lee Rivers earned her GED in December 2009. She loved the classroom so much, she went right back to school. You gotta love that. Rickeena J. Richards wrote about Rivers for the News Democrat, and bnd.com featured the story. Richards quotes Rivers:

"It opened up a lot of doors for me because I was afraid for myself that I didn't know how to do a lot of things," she said, noting her improvements in reading, spelling and public speaking. "I felt real good about myself. ... It just energized me."

It energized her so much she now takes a computer class in the Programs and Services for Older Persons department at Southwestern Illinois College.

Think about how many classes you could take before you turn 80. Maybe you should go back to school!

Still Learning at 80 originally appeared on About.com Continuing Education on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 10:51:16.

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In the Debate Room over at The New York Times this week is a discussion of the value of online degrees.

The convenience factor for the student is obvious, especially if you're a student who abhors the traditional classroom.

The college side of the equation is more complicated. The school definitely benefits from the ability to enroll students from around the world. It also has a nightmarish administrative challenge, not to mention the need for a reliable platform with which to deliver the learning. I'll have stats for you soon.

Personally, I love the idea of being able to earn a degree from my living room. If I can pass the same test a classroom student takes, what does it matter where I take the test?

What's your opinion? Are online degrees the wave of the future?

In the Debate Room - Online Degrees originally appeared on About.com Continuing Education on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 08:03:48.

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A growing number of companies in the U.S. are offering employees education funding --- not just for job-related skills, for anything. Elizabeth Olson wrote about these special company accounts for The New York Times:

"The employee chooses the courses, but the program is not portable, a feature advocated by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, a Chicago nonprofit. It is urging nationwide adoption of portable Lifelong Learning Accounts. These are controlled by employees, with their costs partly matched by employers, and the money in the accounts earns interest."

As you can imagine, employees nearing retirement at the 50+ companies now offering the program are taking classes in whatever it is they want to do after retirement, whether it's selling horses, like Steve Gaylord, or writing scripts, like Robin Rouse.

Does your company have employee-controlled education accounts? Check it out. And let us know about it.

Employee-Controlled Education Accounts - Have One? originally appeared on About.com Continuing Education on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 08:48:37.

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Your wisdom, advice and good humor are wanted in the Continuing Ed. forum. Join us!

Have a question? Ask!

Need a great ice breaker idea? We've got People Bingo Characteristics and "Would You Rather..." ideas galore!

Come on in...

Educating the Self to Overcome Ego

Most Embarrassing Moment at School?

Cougars on Campus

Breakfast Foods for the Brain

Worst Ice Breaker Ever

Join the Conversation in the Continuing Ed. Forum originally appeared on About.com Continuing Education on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 09:05:31.

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High schools everywhere are busy with college fairs, opportunities to expose students to various colleges and financial aid choices.  A lot of fairs are held at school, but many are big enough to land in larger venues.

You're invited.

Non-traditional students are valuable to colleges. They want you. If you're not sure of your choices as an adult student, find a college fair and browse the booths.

Should You Go Back to School?

Which Degree Is Right for You?

Choosing the Right School

College Fairs - Non-Trads Are Invited Too originally appeared on About.com Continuing Education on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 at 08:57:30.

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The Federal Government has announced the recipients of a $96 million investment across 150 projects to improve teaching and learning in the community education and training sector. The funding will help support training and jobs by providing up to $1.5 million per project for community education organisations to build new training infrastructure and upgrade their existing facilities. The new and upgraded infrastructure will support and improve training in employability, literacy and numeracy skills and help 'second chance' learners to get work or further training.

Many sectors of Service Skills Australia's service industries depend heavily on volunteer/ unpaid labour in management, development and support roles. Key issues are: attracting, recruiting and retaining volunteers; barriers to volunteering (eg. governance and regulatory requirements); support and resource delivery to volunteers; education and training for volunteers; and skills recognition for present and future learning pathways. A consultation paper has been prepared; and a survey is available based on questions raised in the paper.

The Centre for Leadership for Women (CLW) Leadership Achievement Award has been established to recognise women in the community who use their own initiative to create and implement projects for the benefit of the community and in collaboration with the community. It aims to encourage leadership of Australian women and to advance the rights and status of women in Australia. Applications close on 22 December 2008 with winners being announced on 22 May 2009.

This program examines questions such as : What are the newly retired looking for in their volunteering roles? Are they more discriminating than older seniors? Is there a connection between volunteering and good health?

The ABC is looking for short stories that will make great radio from people who live outside metropolitan areas (but including residents of Hobart and Darwin). All stories must be original, previously unpublished and less than 800 words in length. Entries close closes at 5pm AEST on Friday 17 August 2007.

The Linking of Young people into Employment and Training (LYPET) aims to link trained community mentors with young people who are currently not involved in education, employment or training or who are 'at risk' of becoming early school leavers. The objective of the program is to provide an opportunity for disengaged young people to be matched with an adult in their community who will assist them to become reconnected and work ready.

The National Centre of Vocational Research and Education (NCVER) has recently released a report entitled 'Men's sheds in Australia: learning through community contexts'. It examines the educational role of men's sheds and the communities which develop around them.

To mark the 30th anniversary of the Racial Discrimination Act (RDA), the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HRECO) is putting together 'Voices of Australia' - a magazine and audio CD of real-life stories about diversity and living together in contemporary Australia. 'Voices of Australia' will be distributed to community groups, schools, libraries, local councils, religious groups, government agencies and other groups around the country. Australians of all backgrounds are invited to submit stories on a range of themes including: Australia our home; Breaking down barriers; and Racism. Stories should be submitted no later than 22 July 2005. More information is available on the HREOC website.

Older Australians wanting to gain basic IT skills and familiarity with computers, the Internet and email, now have assistance through a new 'how to' video, Connecting with Computers. The video and DVD target those who are 45 and over, with limited or no computer experience. They cover basic information including a range of topics from file management to the benefits of digital photography. The video and DVD will be distributed free of charge to a range of organisations including Adult Learning Australia, the National Seniors Association, Association of Independent Retirees Inc, Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association, Australian Library and Information Association, National Farmers Federation, and the Smith Family.

The Learning Communities Catalyst (LCC) is a space for practitioners to access and share information to help build and support learning communities. The new website is a collaborative effort between Adult Learning Australia, the Australian Learning Communities Network, the Australian Local Government Association and edna. New features include a friendly user interface with the ability to explore Australian learning communities and LCC information and resources state-by-state, and the ability for users to register for updates on latest additions to the website.