AUK Launches Center for Continuing Education

Working people in Kuwait now have another option to consider when they are looking for education and training programs - the American University of Kuwait's Center for Continuing Education.

AUK's new Center is offering a series of daytime and evening courses, starting in April.

"Our primary target audience is working adults in Kuwait," says Dave McHardy, the Center's Director. "Our goal is to provide the courses and programs they need to fulfill their goals, whether those goals are work-related or personal."
The Center's initial offering includes daytime workshops in Leadership and Training Design & Delivery, certificate programs in Project Management and Supervisory Skills, an evening Business English program, and personal interest courses in Interior Decorating and Creative Writing/Writing Short Fiction.

"Since I arrived from Canada last August, we have been reviewing marketplace needs," says McHardy, "and we are now responding to those needs by delivering programs that people have specifically asked for."

The Center's first offering is a four-day program starting April 2 called "Achieving Leadership Excellence" which features Tony White, an experienced and respected consultant and trainer whom McHardy has known for over 20 years.

"It was important for us to bring in trainers who were not only experts in their fields, but also excellent instructors," says McHardy. "Most of our daytime programs are being taught by professional trainer/consultants whom we are flying in from overseas and they are all people whom I have personally seen teach. I have heard the excellent feedback from students and received great reports from employers. These are instructors who can make a big difference in the lives - and the careers - of course participants."

McHardy expects that one of the Center's most popular program areas will be English and Communications.

"The University has great faculty members and, within them, a superb team of English professors and instructors." notes McHardy. "We hope to utilize them as much as possible to deliver courses that will be designed and scheduled to meet working adults' needs."

"Improving Your Business English" is the Center's first English course and, so far, it has proven to be very popular.

"We ran a series of newspaper ads and have received over 100 telephone calls," declares Program Coordinator David Hart. "The program has five levels ranging from elementary to advanced and we will be assessing and placing each person into the level that is most appropriate for him or her. "We are very confident that this program will help participants make noticeable improvements in their English communication skills. And, once this program is successful, we plan to add courses in Business Writing, Presentation Skills and Conversational English."

Among other program areas being explored by the Center are Education and Design. To assist in this process, the Center has contracted with two local professionals to liaise with Kuwait businesses, organizations and associations and help develop programs for both professional development and personal interest. Lynda Abdul Raheem, a counselor at a local bilingual school and Nafessah Al-Ghusain, a Kuwait-based Interior Design consultant and instructor, have recently been added as part-time members of the Center's team.

For the upcoming Summer, the Center is also planning to offer programs for young people.

"Once our new Program Coordinator starts in April, one of her first projects will be to work with stakeholders from within and outside AUK and develop an extensive summer program for young people," says McHardy. "It's going to be educational and lots of fun. And developing it is going to be very exciting."

Biography - David McHardy
David McHardy has managed continuing education, distance learning and corporate training programs for thirty years and has taught courses and seminars in adult/continuing education, management development, and leadership in Canada, the USA and Europe. A graduate of Canada's McMaster University (B.Sc., Biology), Mohawk College (Diploma, Community Education) and Simon Fraser University (M.A., Administrative Leadership), McHardy has worked in the public and private post-secondary education sectors and managed certification and educational programs for a provincial occupational health and safety authority. His Master's Degree thesis was a case study that focused on issues related to organizational culture, decision-making and structure within a College and its Continuing Education Department.

McHardy came to AUK in August, 2005 from Langara College in Vancouver, Canada. He is married with three children, two of whom are attending the American School of Kuwait and the oldest of whom is a freshman in the International Relations program at the United States International University in Nairobi, Kenya.

People interested in learning more about the Center and its programs should call (+965) 224-8399 ext. 309 or email cedc@auk.edu.kw.

Contact Person:
David McHardy, Director, Center for Continuing Education
Telephone: (+965) 224-8399 ext. 308
Fax: (+965) 571-5909
Email: dmchardy@auk.edu.kw