(COLUMBIA, Tenn. - Sept. 28, 2011) - - - Columbia State Community College's Center for Economic and Workforce Development is offering a variety of non-credit courses and programs throughout the month of October online and on the Columbia campus. Programs and courses include Legal Secretary, Coaching for Success and Pharmacy Technician.

Spanish for the Workplace will be offered in six two-hour sessions. People who are in contact with Spanish speakers on a daily basis will benefit from the training. The class is Tuesday and Thursday evenings, Oct. 4 to Oct. 20 from 6-8 p.m. at the Columbia campus. The $139 fee includes textbook.

Introduction to Word 2010 is a hands-on class in which the student will learn how to add, move through and edit text; move words from one part of your document to another; work on two or more documents simultaneously; change the size or appearance of text; change margins and tab settings; run grammar and spell checks; use the thesaurus; and save, retrieve, copy, organize and print documents. The class is on Friday, Oct. 7 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The $129 fee includes textbook.

Statistical Process Control (SPC) Introduction teaches the student how to improve the quality of a product or service. The class also helps the student understand when/how often to make adjustments to your processes to improve quality. The class will help foster a better understanding of the basic principles of SPC, such as causes of variation; frequency histograms and check sheets; variable control charts; attribute control charts; machine and process capability; and quality problem-solving tools. The class will be on Mondays, Oct. 10, 17 and 24 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. The fee for the class is $139.

Project Management is a class that teaches students how to establish a project objective, generate tactics to accomplish your objective, set a time line for the project, identify resources needed, set key milestones for the project, and establish other measurement metrics to assess progress. The class is Thursday, Oct. 27 from 8 a.m.-noon. The fee for the class is $144.

Introduction to Strategic Planning teaches the student how vision and mission are important in strategic planning; how to conduct a basic SWOT analysis; how/why consensus building is important in planning; how to identify metrics for measuring progress; and why it is important to identify obstacles and how to set plans for overcoming them. The class is on Thursday, Oct. 27 from 1-5 p.m. The class fee is $144.

Coaching for Success is offered in conjunction with the Leadership series. The course will help students learn how to prepare people to successfully handle challenging situations and tasks; expand their team's capabilities in order to give the organization a competitive edge; delegate with confidence, their team's ability to assume new responsibilities. The class will be at the Columbia campus Wednesday, Oct. 12 from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The $149 fee includes textbook and all class materials.

Living with hospice - Part 1 is a class in which students will discuss the history of hospice care and identify the myths surrounding it. There will be discussions on the challenges of patients and families in hospice care, and participants will receive information on eligibility for this program. The class is free and open to the public, and it will be on Thursday, Oct. 27 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Registration is not required.

Motivating Others is offered in conjunction with the Leadership series. In this course the student will learn how to create an environment that allows individuals and work groups to achieve their full potential. They will learn how to spark high levels of sustained energy in individuals and work groups, as well as learn how to improve work group results by helping people sustain their motivation. The class is on Wednesday, Oct. 26 from 8:30am-12:30pm. The $149 fee includes textbook.

ACT Test Prep is designed for individuals wanting to prepare for the ACT test or increase their previous scores. Classes meet one evening per week for five weeks and are two and a half hours in length. These classes are fast-paced and cover the five areas of the ACT test: English, math, reading, science, and writing, in addition to test-taking strategies and practice tests. Each student will receive a prep guide on the first evening of class at no additional cost. The class is 5:30- 8 p.m. and runs Oct. 25-Nov. 29 (No class on Nov. 22). The $109 fee includes all books and materials.

Introduction to Excel 2010 teaches students how to sort and analyze data; design custom charts and graphs; and format worksheets using mathematical formulas. The course will be held on Friday, Oct. 14 from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The $129 fee includes textbook.

Introduction to QuickBooks 2010 is a course that covers setting up a new company: working with centers and lists: working with business forms: and more. The class is at the Columbia campus on Friday, Oct. 21 from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The $129 fee includes the textbook.

Pharmacy Technician is a popular medical certificate program that Columbia State's Office of Economic and Workforce Development offers. Students can earn a Pharmacy Technician Certificate with this 50-hour course. The course will qualify the student for immediate employment in Tennessee's growing healthcare industry. The class runs Oct. 11 to Dec. 1, and it will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6-9:30 p.m. The $999 fee includes all textbooks and materials.

Paralegal Career Advancement Certificate trains students to interview witnesses, investigate complex fact patterns, research the law, prepare legal documents, and assist in preparing cases for courtroom litigation. Topics include legal terminology, introduction to the evidentiary predicate, identifying relevant authority, legal research, and legal writing and appellate procedure. The six-week class meets Saturdays and Sundays from Oct. 15 to Dec. 4 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The $1189 fee does not include textbook. (Students are required to purchase their own textbooks for approximately $340).

The following classes are legal study classes offered online. All of these classes begin Oct. 17. You may register at the following website for any of these courses: http://registration.xenegrade.com/columbiastate


Legal Secretary is a program designed for both beginning and experienced secretaries who are interested in improving their skills and working more efficiently within the law office. Students will study such topics as legal terminology; legal process; jurisdiction and venue; ethics; and written communication, including letters, pleadings, discovery, notices and motions and others. The $575 fee does not include textbook.

Legal Nurse Consultant is a course that prepares medical professionals for careers in the legal field as legal nurse consultants. Building on the student's medical education and clinical experience, the course prepares participants to advise law firms, health care providers, insurance companies and government agencies on medically related issues. This course also prepares participants to testify in court as expert witnesses. Topics include medical malpractice, toxic torts, product liability, personal injury, emotional distress, wrongful death, mental capacity, criminal law and worker's compensation. The course is completed in seven weeks. The $849 fee does not include textbook.

Alternative Dispute Resolution is a certificate class that is designed to train and qualify students to develop conflict mediation processes. Participants will review the growth and application of settlement options in the United States. The course focuses on both traditional and non-traditional dispute-resolution options and takes the mystery out of settlement processes. Tuition is $575.

Legal Investigation Certificate is a course designed to teach legal investigation skills to those interested in pursuing a career and those already working in the legal field. At the end of the course, students will be qualified to assist attorneys, paralegals, insurance companies and private businesses, as well as state and federal government agencies in the process of civil and criminal investigation. Students will learn how to start their own freelance investigation business. The $575 fee does not include textbook.

Victim Advocacy Certificate is a course designed to teach advanced and specialized approaches to using the legal resources available in a law library and elsewhere. Students will learn the conceptual differences between computer-assisted legal research and hard-copy research. Students will also learn how to formulate WESTLAW search queries. The course is seven weeks. The $575 fee does not include textbook.

Other online legal courses of study offered in the Paralegal field include Advanced Legal Research, Intellectual Property Law, Criminal Law, Bankruptcy Law and many others. Visit the following website to review other offerings available: http://www.legalstudies.com.
To register for Columbia State's non-credit continuing education courses go to: www.columbiastate.edu/ewd. For additional information call (931) 540-2660.