Lone Star College continues to enhance education

HOUSTON, TX -- The Lone Star College Continuing Education (CE) program offers fast-track, high-demand certificates to assist students in entering the workforce quickly, obtaining lucrative jobs or enhancing their current careers.

“Continuing Education offers various day, evening and weekend certification programs to fit students’ needs,” said Linda Leto Head, LSC Senior Associate Vice Chancellor External and Employer Partnerships. “Lone Star College wants to be your next step toward an exciting career. Most CE courses do not require a college application or testing and are designed for the unemployed and professionals requiring industry certification.”

Continuing Education focuses on the key technical and behavioral skills needed in the targeted occupation. Each certificate program includes a national industry-recognized certification or a state/national occupational accreditation. Additionally, CE helps students transition into second careers due to life circumstances.

“When the pandemic hit, I lost my surveying job,” said Mayla Lama, an LSC-Kingwood Medical Billing and Coding Program student. “It was then I realized that I needed a career change. I never imagined I would be in the medical field at all. However, I enrolled in college courses at Lone Star College-Kingwood to qualify for the basic track nursing program.”

Lama is an engineering graduate and worked as a pipeline surveyor before COVID-19. In May 2021, Lama received an acceptance letter into the medical coding and billing program. With eight days until the course started, she hurriedly prepared herself for the next chapter in her life. Lama credits the LSC Continuing Education program and Lezlie McHenry, Certified Nurse Aid Adjunct Professor, as the successful stepping stones needed to retool her future.

“While enrolled in the medical coding and billing program, I worked part-time and took a pharmacology course,” Lama said. “This was a very challenging time, but instructors like Professor McHenry believed in and motivated me to do my best. Additionally, I’ve learned that books are my best buddies, never lose focus and there is no shortcut to real success.”

The Lone Star College Teacher Certification Program, under Continuing Education, assists students with a bachelor’s degree and a passion for making a difference in young people’s lives to become educators. To earn their accreditation, students must complete a minimum of 300 hours of coursework, field experience and training. The Teacher Certification Program has partnerships with multiple school districts, 35 certification areas, flexible course schedules, and a choice between two certification routes: internship or clinical teaching.

“Lone Star College’s Teacher Certification Program is dedicated to providing teacher candidates with the skills, knowledge and tools needed to become successful K-12 teachers. We want them to positively impact the lives of children in Texas schools,” said Alejandra Solis, LSC-Tomball Continuing Education Director. “Our program is well-respected by the school districts in the greater Houston area and beyond for the quality of certified teachers we produce.”

The Continuing Education program at LSC offers various start dates and times each semester to help even the busiest person achieve their educational goals. The CE program also offers English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), High School Equivalency Test Preparation (GED), Academy for Lifelong Learning (a program for active adults 50+) and LifePath, (a program for students with cognitive learning disorders). Top CE programs include accounting assistant, alternative teacher certification, basic peace officer, certified nursing aid, EMT, truck driving and welding. Additionally, applying and registering for a CE course takes only 15 minutes.

The spring and summer 2023 CE schedule and a list of upcoming information sessions are available at http://online.anyflip.com/evsbq/islx/mobile/.