After being in an all-remote format due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Night Life Continuing Education Division at Worcester Public Schools (WPS) will be back in person this year at Worcester Vocational Technical High School starting the week of September 13. The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce helped to advocate for the initial return of the Worcester Night Life program, which had not been running for many years, in order to activate Worcester Technical High School after traditional school day hours and make low-cost training and continuing education options available to local residents.
Worcester Public Schools has affordable continuing education classes for adults through this Night Life program. These classes are for members of the surrounding community to have access to state-of-the-art technical high school classrooms and equipment. They offer career and vocational training such as plumbing, electrical, welding, and medical coding; as well as personal interest classes such as cooking, quilting, yoga, and language.
The catalog of courses is online now for classes starting in September. If you are looking to change careers, there are programs and trainings for Commercial Drivers Licenses (CDL), diesel technicians, clinical medical assistants, and more. There are some scholarships available for qualified adults for career-vocational trainings in certain fields where there is a local workforce demand for people with that skill. If you are interested in a scholarship, reach out to Ruth Seward, Night Life Coordinator, at 508-751-7612.
Personal enrichment courses include flower arranging, yoga, golf, quilting, financial planning, home improvements, and more. There truly is something for everyone and of every interest! Most instructors are members of the immediate community who are looking to share their knowledge in a fun and casual atmosphere.
In addition to the many in-person options, there are more than 800 online courses available which you can take from the comfort of your home including accounting, nutrition, starting a business, and much more. Many of these courses are open enrollment and available to take now or throughout the summer; these can either be taken at your own pace or with an online instructor.
The Worcester Night Life program is a great resource for members of our community to pursue their personal and career passions. In addition to enrolling in classes, you can submit an application to teach a course on the website as well and get paid for sharing your passion and expertise.
Check out the complete listing of classes in the fall 2021 course catalog at worcesternightlife.org. Registration is now open, and more classes will continue to be added as summer comes to a close. So, what are you waiting for? Advance your career, learn a new skill, or simply indulge a hobby of yours by signing up today!
Karen Pelletier is the Executive Vice President at the Worcester Chamber. She can be reached here. Ruth Seward is the Coordinator of Night Life Education at Worcester Public Schools.
This story was originally published in the August 2021 edition of Chamber Exchange: The Newspaper, a quarterly publication of the Chamber. All newspaper editions are archived here.
