OCNews

OC Occupational Health and Safety grad put her skills to work

With fall approaching and parents and students of all ages making decisions about going back to school, Noelle Eugster still considers it one of the best decisions she’s made in her life.

“Making a complete career change and going back to College in my mid-40s was certainly scary, but I’m so glad I did. It was easily one of the smartest choices I’ve ever made,” says Eugster, who completed the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Certificate.

Eugster puts her training to work on a daily basis through her job as a Safety and Training Coordinator for USNR in Salmon Arm.

The company is one of the world’s largest suppliers of equipment and technologies for the wood processing industry, which Eugster says gives her the chance to correspond with her OHS colleagues around the world to stay up to date on the latest considerations, best practices and developments during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The course was extremely helpful in preparing me for the work I do now,” says Eugster. “I refer to what I learned on a daily basis. It’s a phenomenal course and I’d highly recommend it for anyone looking to get into the occupational health and safety field. My instructor was so helpful and made the transition of going back to school easy.”

To assist those looking to boost their skills or make a career change this fall, Okanagan College has unveiled its fall array of Continuing Studies courses, many of which will be delivered online.

In order to serve students better and offer flexibility as new online courses continue to be added, the College broke with tradition this year and published an entirely online brochure.

The brochure is available to read online or download at www.okanagan.bc.ca/cs.

“This year marks the first time in decades the Continuing Studies brochure won’t be arriving in mailboxes around the region,” explains Jane Lister, Acting Director for Continuing Studies and Regional Dean for the North Okanagan. “So we want to get the word out to people to head to our website, where you can find the brochure, search courses, and stay tuned as we add new offerings.”

“We know many people are looking not only for professional development opportunities during the pandemic, but may also be thinking about changing careers or diversifying their skills right now.”

The array of courses – which includes offerings in business, health, education, technology, cannabis, wine and food and other in-demand fields – also includes some new COVID-19-related programming.

A course called COVID-19 Hazards, Risks, Controls, and Communication provides learners with the skills necessary to direct COVID-19 risk management practices in the work place. Another called COVID-19 Strategies: Wellness, Mental Health and Stress will provide learners with tips, tools and strategies to promote wellness, mental health and manage COVID-19 related stress.

The College is also serving up online info sessions to help students get answers to their questions, learn more about their programs of interest and what to expect about learning online this fall. The next session is coming up on Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 5:30 p.m. highlighting OC’s AutoCAD program. Students can sign up to attend, stay tuned for upcoming sessions and view recordings of past sessions at www.okanagan.bc.ca/infosessions.