University of Georgia Offers Executive Coaching Certification Program This Fall

/PRNewswrie/ -- As businesses operate in a challenging economy, decisions have to be reasoned, sharp and focused. As more organizations and executives incorporate professional coaching into their development initiatives, the need for certified executive coaches has soared.

The University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education, a leading source for executive coaching and professional development programs, and the Sasha Corp, LLC, are pleased to offer the Fall session of the Sherpa Executive Coaching Certification Program, Oct. 12-16 and Dec. 1-4, 2009, at the Georgia Center, 1197 S. Lumpkin St., on the UGA campus in Athens, Georgia.

The Sherpa Executive Coaching Certification Program gives participants the opportunity to become a process-driven coach and earn a university-endorsed certification. Not only are executive coaches valuable to an organization, they help turn workplace weaknesses into new strengths, thus improving a company's bottom line.

Judith Colemon, a Sherpa Coaching author and instructor, explained: "Human Resource professionals, who have experience with one-on-one coaching, know it produces a tremendous return on investment. That's not to say they'd hire just any coach. Some people in this business don't have a clear process, or the skills to do a great job. Our executive coaching program offers a proven way to create those skills and qualifications."

In addition, UGA and the Sasha Corporation, LLC, also offer Coaching Skills for High Performance, a program that creates a powerful coaching mindset and winning skill set for managers and executives. Coaching Skills for High Performance will be offered Nov. 2-4, 2009 at the University of Georgia Gwinnett Campus, 2530 Sever Rd., in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

For more information about the Sherpa Executive Coaching Certification Program or the Coaching Skills for High Performance program at the University of Georgia, contact Pamela Bracken at 706.542.3537 or mpam.bracken@georgiacenteruga.edu. Go to http://www.georgiacenter.uga.edu/is/coach/index.phtml for program information, course objectives and more.

The Georgia Center is a unit of the University of Georgia's Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach. The Center provides innovative lifelong learning opportunities through its continuing education programs. On UGA's campus, the Georgia Center includes a full-service hotel with 200 rooms and suites, restaurants, banquet areas, conference rooms, auditoriums, a fitness center, and a computer lab -- all under one roof. For more information, go to www.georgiacenter.uga.edu.

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Recession Blues? Six Certifications You Can Earn in Six Months

/PRNewswire/ -- For those facing unemployment, the idea of retraining for a new career can seem daunting--especially for adults who don't have the luxury of attending a two- or four-year college. America's career-training institutions can offer hope, though. Here are six careers you can become certified for in six months or less:

Computer Technician: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that careers in the IT field will increase by 27-53% by 2016. In fourteen states, ComputerTraining.com offers accelerated, classroom-based courses to prepare students for Microsoft Certification (MCP, MCTS and MCSA) in six months.

Medical Careers: According to the Department of Labor, Medical Assistant is one of the fastest-growing fields in America. Training programs to become a Medical Assistant, Dental Assistant, Medical Billing Technician or Phlebotomist vary in length depending on certifications, starting at eight weeks.

Culinary Arts: Schools now offer training in classic culinary techniques and pastry arts in as little as six months.

Cosmetology: Courses have evolved beyond one-year courses in hairstyling and now include shorter, specialized courses beyond hairstyling, including accelerated courses for manicures, facials, or makeup application.

Massage Therapist: A massage therapy education is typically based on hours, rather than weeks or months, of experience. Most students are ready for the exam in as little as 300 hours and certified after 1,000 hours--about the equivalent of six months of full-time work.

Pharmacy Technician: Pharmacy Technicians can receive on-the-job training, but employers favor candidates who have completed a formal education and certification process.

Jerry Collins, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of ComputerTraining.com says he's already seeing an increase in inquiries. "As the recession has spread, we've seen more and more people looking for new career choices, rather than simply waiting for an old job that might never return," he said. "Even people who have earned college degrees for their former jobs are retraining for opportunities created by changing technology."

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UGA’s Organic Program Graduates First Students

Kate Smith has had lots of dirt under her fingernails as a horticulture graduate from the University of Georgia. And some of that soil has been certified organic.

She and Kelly Broderick stepped across UGA’s graduation stage in December as the first students to complete UGA’s new certificate program in organic agriculture.

“It’s made me realize that having my hands in the dirt is something I need in life,” Smith said of the program. “It was an incredibly rewarding experience.”

Smith graduated with a bachelor’s degree in horticulture in December. She’s moving to Washington, D.C. this month to hunt for a job in agriculture policy.

Broderick, an ecology graduate, plans to get a master’s degree that focuses on sustainable agriculture. But right now she’d really “love to get a job on a farm working,” she said. Broderick eventually wants to go into education and develop a science curriculum based around agriculture.

Organic at UGA

Organic agriculture is farming with minimal chemical inputs. It emphasizes management practices that restore, maintain or enhance farmland. And before UGA’s program started a year and a half ago, the scientific study of organic agriculture was something missing from Georgia’s college curriculum. The program has grown to include 20 students, approved classes and an organic farm and greenhouses.

Smith said the program helped her “see through the romanticism of agriculture.” And that’s one of UGA horticulture professor Marc van Iersel’s goals in teaching organic agriculture.

“There are a lot of myths surrounding organic agriculture. I hope this program gives them a more science-based approach,” said van Iersel, who is based in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

One of his students is already testing his organic agriculture knowledge. Economics major James Hamilton is starting a two-acre organic farm in Cleveland, Ga. This year, he’ll set up a small CSA – community supported agriculture – and provide produce to paying subscribers.

“Hopefully what I’ll grow will be a lot of heirloom” plants, he said. “They taste better, and they’re more interesting to grow. I’m not so concerned with yields. I’m just seeing what will grow.”

UGA’s certificate program in organic agriculture has four required courses and six hours of electives. The certificate is similar to a minor for undergraduates, with faculty from various departments and colleges teaching in the program.

Van Iersel would like to see 25 to 30 students enroll in the program each year or a total of 50 students in the program. “If we consistently attract that many students, it would be time to start thinking about an organic major,” he said. He’d like to see the program springboard into both a minor and a major in organic agriculture.

Using the program

UGA students in the organic certificate program apply their knowledge in a variety of ways. “This program could benefit anybody who has an interest in growing of any kind,” said Dain Goedeke, a UGA landscape architecture major. He plans to apply the soils knowledge he gained in his future design projects. “I don’t think a lot of landscape architects do that.”

Horticulture major Jacob Adams’ master plan is to have “a micro farm with my family and an integrated restaurant and grocery store.”

But not all of van Iersel’s students are pursing careers in organic agriculture.

French graduate Rick Power took a job with a charitable organization. He took several organic classes but didn’t formally complete the certificate program. Now living in Massachusetts, Power works for Heifer International, a non-profit organization that’s goal is to help end world hunger and poverty through self-reliance and sustainability.

For more information on UGA’s organic certificate program, visit www.uga.edu/organic.

By Stephanie Schupska
University of Georgia

Stephanie Schupska is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.


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