We now offer Career Navigation, in conjunction with the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan! Our Career Navigator, Kate Points, is connected with resources around the county and the state to help people get into sustainable careers and reduce barriers to employment. 

Every other Thursday between 9 - 12pm starting Thursday, February 2nd Kate will be at the Adult Ed office at Noble High School to offer support for those needing assistance with resumes as well as career navigation assistance.

When you work with Kate, you can expect personal career guidance support. Are you looking for a different work situation and aren’t sure what your next steps should be? Do you want help with a resume or practicing job interviews? Are you looking for training opportunities or an apprenticeship? Do you want to get a certification? Whatever your career goals, Kate can help!

If you have any questions or would like to schedule a time to work with Kate, contact her below!

• Email: kpoints@sanford.org
• Call/Text: 207-977-6548

Every successful person in the workplace utilizes financial information to aid effective decision making. The Certificate in Accounting and Finance for Non-Financial Managers explains the financial concepts and accounting processes used in most businesses and will provide practical techniques that will increase your effectiveness and career.

First, get a foundation to understand the seven steps in the accounting cycle and use financial information in decision making. Come away with the knowledge to analyze resource allocation and evaluate financial performance.  

Then find out what you need to know about cash.  Cash is the non-financial manager who really makes a difference in the day-to-day cash activities. Discover how to maximize cash flow, learn the importance of cash and find out your role in cash flow success.  

Finally, acquire advanced knowledge on the financial information that drives your organization. See how business reports are assessed and analyzed.  An understanding of this information will help you make smart decisions when it comes to budgeting, setting goals, and assessing performance within your own area of influence.

• Accounting and Finance for Non Financial Managers
   Winter ( February 6th – March 3rd )
   Spring ( April 3rd – April 28th )

• Cash is King   
   Winter ( March 6th – March 31st )
   Spring ( May 1st – May 26th )

• Financial Analysis and Planning for Non Financial Managers
   Winter ( April 3rd – April 28th )
   Spring ( June 5th – June 30th )

Games are increasingly recognized as a tool that can serve many business purposes beyond entertainment. This Certificate provides you with a general introduction to what goes into the design and development of both video and analog games, with a particular focus on the use of games outside of consumer entertainment.  

In the first course, you will discover resources for developing game design, identify the mechanics and verbs used in different games. You will come away with knowing the different activities that are part of game design, being able to flesh out a game idea in order to increase the chances to having a successful game design experience, and have a basic understanding of how to work with game developers. 

In the second course, you will you will learn the basics of video game design process, learn about the main video game genres, and use a game development application to begin your journey of making games.    

By successfully completing this Certificate in Basic Game Design, you will have taken the first steps into understanding game design, and being able to create your own games.

*Introduction must be taken before Intermediate

• Introduction to Game Design
   Winter ( February 6th – March 3rd )
   Spring ( April 3rd – April 28th )

• Intermediate Video Game Design
   Winter ( March 6th – March 31st )
   Spring ( May 1st – May 26th )

How do you manage the finances of a business? Whether you are an entrepreneur, running a family business, or just looking to advance your career and add to your skill set, this Bookkeeping Certificate will provide you with the knowledge needed to measure, and manage, the financial health of your business. This program focuses on cash basis accounting.

No one will care more about the financial health of your business than you! It’s imperative that you understand how the process works and are able to complete the accounting cycle accurately and in a timely fashion. Even if you plan to outsource your bookkeeping needs, you should still understand how the process works. No one should be clueless when it comes to the finances of their business.

The Bookkeeping Certificate courses must be taken in the below order (the classes build off each other): 

• Understanding Debits and Credits
   Winter ( February 6th – March 3rd )
   Spring ( April 3rd – April 28th )

• General Ledger and Month End Procedures
   Winter ( March 6th - March 31st )
   Spring ( May 1st - May 26th )

• Closing Procedures and Financial Statements
   Winter ( April 3rd - April 28th )
   Spring ( June 5th - June 30th )

Discover the keys to successful writing for the workplace.  Whether you are writing a report, memo, letter or publicity notice, business writing has some defined characteristics for success. Successful communicators in the workplace move forward, others move back. Enhance your career by improving this critical communication skill.Begin with understanding the format, construction, and successful techniques of writing good business reports and proposals.  Then improve your skills with editing and proofreading.  Finally, discover what good journalists know. Learn how to write a news story, press release or other publicity notice that zings.  

Help your organization stand out with your new skills in business writing. This certificate will take you to the next level where business writing is a skill for personal and organizational success.

The classes included in this certificate program are:
• Business Writing
   Winter ( February 6th – March 3rd )
   Spring ( April 3rd – April 28th )
  

• Effective Copywriting
    Winter ( March 6th – March 31st )   
    Spring ( May 5th – May 26th )

• Writing News and Press Releases
   Winter ( April 3rd – April 28th )   
   Spring ( June 5th – June 30th )

Educators and psychologists know that learning is significantly affected by factors such as stress, anxiety, self-image, cultural expectations and societal expectations. The increasing number of students diverse backgrounds in today’s classrooms introduces a tremendous diversity of lived experience which influences how students learn.

In today’s public schools, the majority of teachers, 80% are white, and the majority of learners are students of color. This fact alone suggests a strong potential for a cultural and communication gap between teachers and their students. Research findings confirm that black students face significant challenges to their learning as a result of unconscious bias and lack of cultural awareness on the part of teachers. It is well documented that black students, particularly boys, are more likely to be on the receiving end of disciplinary action, more likely to be suspended from school, and are at greater risk of failing than are other students. It is also well documented that black children are perceived to be older than white children of the same age and are more likely, as a result, to have expectations for behavior that are developmentally inappropriate. These factors, along with micro-aggressions that are common, and sometimes racially motivated aggression by peers render the learning environment for black students fraught with challenges that may be unseen or unrecognized by educators.

In this course, we will examine the factors that come together to create unique challenges to black students in the classroom and explore ways in which teachers can minimize those challenges and support school success for all students.

Customer service is now essential for business and all work organizations.  With the increase of technology, human interaction with customers becomes all the more important.  Whether it relates to retaining customers, serving your audience, or turning inquiries from potential customers into sales, good customer service is now one of the central factors in organizational success. 

Learn to improve your customer service skills to enhance your career skill set, improve productivity, and increase your organization’s success. You will also take away some extraordinary customer service techniques you won’t find anywhere else.

The classes included with this certificate are: 
• Keys to Customer Service: 
   Winter ( February 6th – March 3rd )
   Spring ( April 3rd – April 28th )

• Extraordinary Customer Service
   Winter ( March 6th – March 31st )   
   Spring ( May 1st – May 26th )

Data Analysis is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after skills in the workplace.  Companies have vast amounts of data, but it is rare to have someone with the ability to analyze that data to see trends and make predictions. Add a whole new skill set to your portfolio, and make a big difference in the success of your organization by acquiring data analysis skills. 

Begin with getting a basic understanding of how to analyze data in a business setting. Then learn how many of your business decisions involve comparing groups for differences. You will know the statistics behind these group differences and relationships. Finally you will find out how to perform inquiries that will be useful to your business or organization, and have the skill necessary to communicate these results through graphs and text that your fellow employees will understand. Whether your business is home based or a large company, this certificate will take you to the next level where important decision-making is concerned.

*Students need to have Microsoft Excel to complete this certificate. 

This Certificate must be taken in the following order:

• Introduction to Data Analysis
   Winter ( February 6th – March 3rd )   
   Spring ( April 3rd – April 28th )

• Intermediate Data Analysis
   Winter ( March 6th – March 31st )   
   Spring ( May 1st – May 26th )

• Advanced Data Analysis
   Winter ( April 3rd – April 28th )   
   Spring ( June 5th – June 30th )