Workforce Development and Continuing Education
The Workforce Development and Continuing Education (WDCE) programs at Montgomery College provide a wide range of pre- and post-degree educational offerings and services designed to meet the needs of county residents and businesses. Individuals in career transitions, those re-entering the workforce, and those maintaining current technical skills, as well as those seeking lifelong educational enrichment experiences, are among the more than 25,000 students enrolled in WDCE programs each year.
With more than 2,000 courses offered year-round, the chances of finding a course of interest are excellent. High-quality noncredit courses are available in more than 25 program areas, including information technology, small business and management, technical training, certification and licensure preparation, financial planning, real estate, child care, health sciences, personal development, career development, writing, American English, cultural diversity, customer service, quality management, and leadership development. These course offerings change continuously to reflect the ever-changing needs of the businesses and communities we serve.
Courses are offered through six program areas: Community Education and Extended Learning Services; Business, Information Technology, and Safety; the Gudelsky Institute for Technical Education; the Health Sciences Institute; the Community Arts; and Adult ESOL and Basic Skills for College and Careers. Courses in these program areas may be taken at the three College campuses and at other community sites, including the Westfield South Center in Wheaton and the Business Training Centers in Olde Towne Gaithersburg . Courses are of varying lengths, have flexible start dates, and are offered in the daytime, evening, and weekends to suit the needs of the populations served. Course delivery formats may be in-person, on-line, or through a structured remote platform such as Zoom.
Many WDCE noncredit courses are delivered as a result of a customized training program developed for business and community organizations. Contract training partnerships align College education and training resources with the demands of the workplace and are tailored to each business partner’s requirements. Employer-sponsored training programs have grown significantly in recent years and are frequently delivered at the business location.
For more information on WDCE programs, please visit our website at www.montgomerycollege.edu/wdce.
Online Learning Courses
Each month, Montgomery College offers an exciting array of hundreds of noncredit online courses. These are open to everyone. Most of the online courses are six weeks in length and include such topics as Office Skills, Computer Skills, Digital Photography, Webpage Design, Personal Enrichment, Health Care Continuing Education, and Career Skills. These courses offer two lessons a week for a total of 12 lessons. For more information, please visit the website: www.montgomerycollege.edu/workforce-development-continuing-education/noncredit-online-courses/index.html.
Who Is a WDCE Student?
People of all ages, educational backgrounds, and interests participate in WDCE courses each year. These people come from many walks of life and many occupations, including business professionals, health care providers, technicians, engineers, teachers, homemakers, students with prior degrees, and retired persons. WDCE courses appeal to those with a lifelong interest in learning.
Special Programs
Adult ESOL and Basic Skills for College and Careers
Adult ESOL and Basic Skills for College and Careers are grant-funded programs offering a variety of English, basic skills, and vocational classes for immigrants, refugees, and those in need of a high school diploma. Classes in these programs are free or at a reduced tuition rate. Many are offered remotely.
The Adult ESOL Program has six levels and provides basic English language and life skills instruction to county residents whose native language is not English. Classes are also available in English in civic participation and U.S. citizenship preparation. Classes are offered at a variety of times throughout the county. Participants in these programs work with a college and career coach who will help them transition to other vocational programs offered by the College.
The Refugee Training Program is a grant-funded program that offers classes in English for documented refugees and political asylees in the American workplace, basic life skills, computer literacy, and pre-vocational training in health care and other fields. For more information, please visit the website: www.montgomerycollege.edu/workforce-development-continuing-education/english-language-skills/adult-esol/index.html.
The Work Plus! Program offers workforce readiness classes in Vocational ESOL courses such as ESOL for Healthcare Jobs, ESOL for Customer Service, ESOL for Building Trades Jobs, and ESOL for Education Professionals are offered for students interested in preparing for employment and further training. The College also offers integrated courses where students work on English and basic skills while simultaneously training to become a licensed geriatric nursing assistant, certified apartment maintenance technician, or an early childhood educator among others. Participants in these programs are also supported in transitions to employment and other vocational programs offered by the College.
The grant-funded Citizenship Program prepares newcomers to the United States for the U.S. naturalization exam and American citizenship. Classes are throughout the county and offered year round.
The Literacy-GED Test® Preparation Program serves those who have not obtained a high school diploma and need to improve their literacy, writing, numeracy, and other content area skills in order to pass the GED® examination. The Literacy-GED Test® Preparation Program also offers community orientations on the GED® test and program services. For more information on these classes, please visit the website www.montgomerycollege.edu/workforce-development-continuing-education/english-language-skills/adult-esol/index.html.
GED® is a registered trademark of the American Council on Education (ACE) and administered exclusively by GED Testing Service LLC under license. This material is not endorsed or approved by ACE or GED Testing Service.
English as a Second Language (Noncredit ESL)
To meet the expanding need for language training, WDCE offers a broad array of English courses to help students whose native language is not English prepare to enter the English Language for Academic Purposes (ELAP) program or to enhance their proficiency in English in order to progress professionally. For more information, please visit the website: www.montgomerycollege.edu/workforce-development-continuing-education/english-language-skills/.
Biotechnology
The biotechnology workforce development program serves the needs of the county’s growing biotechnology industry. Courses are offered to interest both scientists and the general public. Topics include basic biotechnology, laboratory skills, and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory compliance. Customized training options are available.
Business Training Services
WDCE works with many local businesses, governmental agencies, and community organizations to provide training solutions to meet specific organizational goals. Existing course offerings can be tailored to focus on specific topics of interest, or new course material can be developed to meet specific training needs. Course length and content are determined by the training requirement. Classes are then held at a College location or frequently are held in an organization’s training or conference room. The full course inventory of the College can be drawn upon to meet workplace education and training needs and can be delivered in a wide variety of learning formats, including onsite, web-based, intense, or regular-length instructional programs. Technical assistance in the development of a customized course series may include convening focus groups, conducting needs assessments, curriculum development, learning outcome assessments, and educational program design. For more information, please visit the website www.montgomerycollege.edu/business-partners-employers/mc-business-solutions/index.html.
World Languages
WDCE offers affordable, dynamic noncredit courses in a variety of world languages: currently offered are Chinese, Farsi, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and American Sign Language. The primary goal of the language courses is to develop communication skills in the language as quickly as possible. These courses work to meet a wide variety of needs, from basic communication skills to advanced levels of instruction for those with good fluency. Contract classes and customized courses are also available to local businesses, government agencies, and community organizations. For more information visit the website: www.montgomerycollege.edu/workforce-development-continuing-education/world-languages/index.html.
Gudelsky Institute for Technical Education
To meet the technical education and training needs of the workforce and the community, the Homer S. Gudelsky Institute for Technical Education (GITE) provides instructional programs in three primary areas: automotive technology, building trades technology, and workforce technologies. The automotive technology program, including training in hybrid and electric car functions and service, is Master Certified by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation. The building trades technology program, including training in solar and wind installation and service, is authorized by The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners. With this program the HVAC curriculum is certified by the Partnership for Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Accreditation. GITE offers both credit and noncredit courses via classroom and lab training, on-site or offsite customized contract training, apprenticeship training, and long- or short-term training. A community benefit of GITE is the Fab Lab, where visitors can bring innovative ideas, develop creative projects, and build new items or technologies. For more information, please visit the website at www.montgomerycollege.edu/academics/departments/gudelsky-institute-technical-education/index.html.
Health Sciences Institute
The Health Sciences Institute was designed to meet the needs of health care providers in the metropolitan Washington area. It offers both noncredit and credit courses and programs of study in various health care careers. These courses and programs will provide individuals with workforce skills, certification in specific disciplines, and associate degrees in an array of health sciences. Customized courses and programs, training courses, seminars, and specialty workshops are available. Experienced faculty, from the College or from the local community of health care providers, participate to develop the workforce for the health care community. For more information, please visit the website: www.montgomerycollege.edu/workforce-development-continuing-education/health-sciences/index.html.
Hispanic Business and Training Institute
The Hispanic Business and Training Institute (HBTI) was created in 1999 as a partnership between the College, Montgomery County Department of Economic Development, and Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Montgomery County. HBTI has since grown into an award-winning program through which training increases economic opportunities for the Hispanic community. HBTI offers a variety of training programs in small business, home improvement licensure, OSHA safety training, computer applications, food safety certification, legal assistant, and occupational Spanish. For more information, please visit the website: www.montgomerycollege.edu/workforce-development-continuing-education/small-business/hispanic-business/index.html.
Information Technology Institute
In response to the need for skilled information technology workers, the College established the Information Technology Institute (ITI). ITI offers noncredit courses at all three College campuses as well off-campus centers in Gaithersburg and Wheaton. In addition, ITI provides customized training at business sites throughout the region.
ITI is designed to prepare new workers and retrain existing workers to fill positions in Montgomery County’s information technology market. Courses are available to meet a wide range of student needs and career goals and are taught by faculty with years of practical experience.
The College is a member of the Microsoft IT Academy, Oracle Academic Initiative, Oracle Workforce Development Program, and Cisco Systems Networking Academy. Courses in these programs offer students the opportunity to prepare for industry certification examinations.
For more information on ITI, please e-mail Alton.Henley@montgomerycollege.edu or visit the website at www.montgomerycollege.edu/iti.
Professional Licensure and Certification
To help the professional community meet certification or licensure requirements, numerous WDCE courses are offered in cooperation with business, government, and professional organizations in the following areas:
- insurance, real estate, small business, mortgage loan, and Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and American Management Association (AMA) certification courses (see www.montgomerycollege.edu/workforce-development-continuing-education/job-skills/index.html and www.montgomerycollege.edu/workforce-development-continuing-education/management-leadership/index.html for more information);
- early childhood education, para-professional educator training, teacher certification;
- automotive, electrical, plumbing, stationary engineering, and occupational safety;
- health care, including nursing;
- computer and networking fields;
- cosmetology (see www.montgomerycollege.edu/workforce-development-continuing-education/small-business/cosmetology/index.html); and
- veterinary assistant (see www.montgomerycollege.edu/workforce-development-continuing-education/small-business/animal-care/index.html).
Project Management
Montgomery College’s WDCE Department is a Global Registered Education Provider by the Project Management Institute (PMI). Courses in a variety of project management topics prepare individuals for new roles in project management and also prepare them for the PMI certifications, including the nationally and internationally recognized Project Management Professional certification. For more information, please visit the website: www.montgomerycollege.edu/workforce-development-continuing-education/management-leadership/project-management/index.html.
SAT/ACT Preparation
WDCE offers a preparation program to high school students and anyone preparing to take the SAT and/or ACT. They are comprehensive, short-term, affordable courses that review content skills and provide extensive timed practice with real sections of the SAT or ACT. Classes are held primarily on the College campuses after school, evenings, and weekends. Courses are offered during the summer and prior to six testing dates during the school year. For more information, visit the website www.montgomerycollege.edu/workforce-development-continuing-education/test-prep/sat/index.html.
Senior Adult Programs
The Lifelong Learning Institute offers many courses primarily designed for county residents age 50 or older. The Institute provides affordable, relevant, and dynamic learning opportunities conveniently held at campus and community locations. The Lifelong Learning Institute is committed to creating and fostering a variety of intellectually stimulating opportunities in the arts, humanities, lifestyle, and personal finance areas. The College is growing a series of courses related to employment preparation and repositioning. For more information, please visit the website: www.montgomerycollege.edu/workforce-development-continuing-education/lifelong-learning/lifelong-learning-institute.html.
Youth Programs
WDCE Youth Programs offers specialized and enrichment programs throughout the school year for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. These programs are offered in special one-day enrichment workshops, after-school and Saturday mini-courses, and a comprehensive nine-week summer program. Many programs are collaborative efforts with Montgomery County Public Schools. For more information, please visit the Youth Programs website at www.montgomerycollege.edu/workforce-development-continuing-education/youth-programs/index.html.
Workforce Access Programs
WDCE offers noncredit programs for students with developmental and intellectual disabilities, including the Graduate Transitions Program (GTP) and the Challenge Program. GTP is a certificate program designed for students with developmental and intellectual disabilities who want to pursue postsecondary education. GTP offers a custom-tailored learning community enabling students to transition to greater independent living through functional education, vocational and employment training, and life skills. This noncredit program focuses on basic academic skills and enhancing potential success as productive citizens in our community.
The Challenge Program is a collection of courses designed to help adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities function more independently in the home, at work, and in the community. Course topics include computers, reading, vocabulary building, art, math, theatre, small business, and more.
For more information, visit the website at www.montgomerycollege.edu/workforce-development-continuing-education/job-skills/index.html.
How to Enroll
The Admissions and Registration section of this catalog describes the procedures for enrolling in noncredit WDCE courses. For a schedule of current noncredit WDCE offerings, please call 240-567-5188, e-mail wdce@montgomerycollege.edu, or visit the website at www.montgomerycollege.edu/wdce.
Tuition and Fees
The registration fee and tuition for WDCE courses and other offerings are determined periodically by the vice president for WDCE. Please call 240-567-5188 or refer to the course schedule or the website at www.montgomerycollege.edu/wdce for tuition and fees.
WDCE Locations
For all Workforce Development and Continuing Education locations, please visit www.montgomerycollege.edu/about-mc/campuses-and-locations/wdce-locations.html.
