Office of Continuing Education, Workforce Development and Strategic Community Partnerships
Room A-214, Ext. 5051
As an integral part of its mission as a community college, Kingsborough is deeply committed to providing residents of Brooklyn with varied opportunities for personal growth, educational and career advancement, and life-long learning and enrichment. As our vibrant borough resurges economically with many new businesses and industries, Kingsborough is actively engaging with them to better prepare our residents for present and future jobs. We are also embarking on a number of strategic community partnerships to help reduce the borough’s significant economic disparities across its highly diverse communities, by better preparing residents for middle-income jobs and beyond. Working in close collaboration with Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and Enrollment Management, the Office of Continuing Education, Workforce Development and Strategic Community Partnerships develops innovative multiple pathways for student recruitment, retention, completion and career success.
Equity in the Borough Campaign
The “Equity in the Borough Campaign” is a signature initiative of Kingsborough’s Strategic Community Partnerships. The Campaign engages community-based organizations, Brooklyn Public Library branches, high schools, industry/business partners, hospitals, and local elected officials to create a coordinated synergy to serve the residents of the borough, especially those living in communities under-served by Kingsborough. The College has researched and identified three rather distant communities from the Kingsborough campus (“Focused Areas”) with high levels of poverty: Canarsie, Cypress Hills and Sunset Park. We are offering non-credit and credit programming at partnership sites and will ultimately offer credit classes and establish satellite presence in the Focused Areas to serve the residents and adjoining neighborhoods. The College Experience program offers mini lessons in various subjects taught by Kingsborough’s faculty to inspire and engage prospective students and Admissions and Financial Aid specialists are at hand to answer any questions regarding enrolling at Kingsborough.
Industry Partnerships and Articulated Pathways: The CXM Academy
The Office engages industry and business partners to ensure our workforce training programs and degree offerings provide knowledge and skills that lead to career-track jobs with opportunities for growth and advancement for our students. An innovative model of education and workforce development is the Customer Experience Management (CXM) Academy, with National Grid as the anchor partner and nine more companies as committed partners. A significant number of our students come from disadvantaged communities in Brooklyn, and this model serves as a career pathway to customer service jobs at these companies. Students are placed in paid employment at the partner sites while at Kingsborough, and have the opportunity to advance within the company as their education and experience progresses. The Academy is another equity initiative designed to eventually propel these residents to middle-income wages. Students are trained intensively on core social/soft skills and competencies through the Resources for Educational and Employment Opportunities (REEO) Program before they are referred to business/industry partners.
Publications
The Office publishes a Continuing Education catalog four (4) times each year, which is its major promotional vehicle for its offerings. The Office also publishes various brochures: “Your Pathway to Test Prep and Beyond,” “Your Pathway to Personal Enrichment,” “Your Pathway to Higher Education,” “Your Pathway to Career and Professional Development,” and “Your Pathway to Healthcare Programs.” Additional brochures are also produced quarterly for the College For Kids, SAT, corporate training, and grant programs. Newspaper advertisements are produced in seven (7) languages and distributed in language-appropriate neighborhoods. Students should visit the website of Continuing Education for additional and up-to-date information at http://www.kbcc.cuny.edu/continuinged
Business Training and Development
The College, through the Office of Continuing Education, Workforce Development and Strategic Community Partnerships contributes to the economic vitality of the region by proactively reaching out and creating educational partnerships with business, industry and agencies, and linking the resources of the College with the workforce development needs of the region. The College assists with management and support staff training by providing needs assessment, course design, instructional services, evaluations and certificates of completion. Offered onsite or on the Kingsborough campus, these activities provide the business community with cost effective, comprehensive, quality programs to improve competitiveness by upgrading workforce skills, and retraining for newly created jobs.
The Continuing Education and Workforce Development offices are also combining resources to deliver credit/non-credit training programs funded by private and public agencies. For example, a Health Coach training program was designed to meet a growing demand for Maimonides Hospital and its network. New York Alliance for Careers in Healthcare (NYACH), Kingsborough’s Community Health degree program, and Community Care of Brooklyn (CCB) – the Maimonides led Performing Provider System (PPS) – developed and launched a health coach training program which began Summer 2016. The program prepares experienced medical assistants (or the equivalent) or newly hired health coaches to excel in the position. Participants enroll in two (2) college level courses for a total of six (6) credits: HPE1200- Concepts of Wellness and COH8202- Patient Engagement Techniques in Community Health.
Other Business Training Collaborations, Grants, and Contract Courses: Privately and Publicly Supported
The Office of Continuing Education offers courses and services for specialized target populations and program providers. Offered under the aegis of the College and various public agencies, funded programs may serve, for example, adult learners in need of vocational counseling, literacy and English language instruction, job readiness skills, and job training. The Office of Continuing Education also designs and provides courses for the employees of local businesses, and industry and municipal agencies. Some of our collaborations include:
- Department of Youth and Community Development
- Culinary and Food Operations Training
- Northeast Resiliency Consortium – Food Service Upgrade
- CUNY Fatherhood Academy
- Community Care of Brooklyn/Maimonides – Health Coach Training
- Fortune Society Culinary Arts Program
- Capitol One, Implementing a Data-Tracking Strategy to Inform Institutional Growth & Improve Student Outcomes Project
- America’s Promise U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) grant through CUNY TechWorks
- Health Careers and Education, Petrie Foundation
- Workforce Development Initiative in Culinary Arts
- WIA ELL Steps to Success – ESL/Food Handlers Grant Program
- Free ESL Adult Literacy Grant Program
- Food Stamp Employment & Training (FSET) Venture II Grant Program
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) Venture IV Grant
- Targeted Assistance Grant Program (TAG) – Contract with JCCGCI
- AHRC Basic Culinary Skills
- C-CAP (Careers through Culinary Arts Program) Spring Chefs Program
Most Popular Programs
English as a Second Language (ESL)
Diagnostic testing and counseling precede placement in appropriate-level instruction classes for adults whose first language is not English. Instructional levels range from survival skills for those with no command of English to advancement skills for employees in fields such as healthcare or business who wish to refine their English language skills.
High School Equivalency (TASC™)
Preparation for the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC™) examination includes a diagnostic/prescriptive assessment, practice in test-taking, instruction in content areas, critical thinking, writing skills development, and counseling for both career development and college admission. For adults not yet ready for high school completion, basic education courses are also provided.
Certificate Programs
Certificate programs with carefully designed sequences of courses, are offered on a non-credit basis, exempt from liberal arts general education requirements, and of considerably shorter duration than degree programs at the College. The Continuing Education certificate programs nevertheless require commitment to a sustained and rigorous course of study. They are designed for adults seeking entry-level employment requiring skills in disciplines such as bookkeeping, business administration, accounting, medical billing and coding, paralegal, alcohol and substance abuse counseling, event and meeting planning, make-up artistry, word processing, pre-licensure, and continuing education requirements for insurance and real estate.
Healthcare Institute Programs
Healthcare is the largest single employer in Brooklyn. With that in mind, the Office of Continuing Education has partnered with the applicable certifying bodies to deliver the best possible training for those interested in entering or advancing in the healthcare field. Certification programs are offered in EMT, Certified Patient Care Technician, Certified Billing and Coding Specialist, Certified Medical Administrative Assistant, Certified Pharmacy Technician, Certified EKG Technician, Certified Nurse Aide, Certified Phlebotomy Technician, Certified Medical Assistant, and a host of other allied healthcare certifications and re-certification courses.
Career Advancement Courses
Tailored to the needs of adults re-entering the job market or seeking to update or upgrade skills for current jobs, career advancement courses build skills in keyboarding, word processing, information technology, customer-service, supervisory skills, and other business office skills. Career planning is facilitated by courses which introduce the adult learner to occupational options.
CUNY Language Immersion Programs (CLIP)
The CLIP Program is designed for students who have been accepted by CUNY colleges but whose English skills need refining before they can register with CUNY as a matriculated student. CLIP is an intensive 25-hour-a-week immersion program. After completion, it is expected that the student will register with the CUNY college of their choice.
The Taxi Institute
The Office of Continuing Education is an approved city-wide provider of the 24-hour test-preparation training for the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission’s (TLC) Operators (Hack) and For Hire Vehicle (FHV) Licenses, in addition to a three-hour Wheelchair Access Vehicle (WAV) and other mandatory training programs stipulated by the TLC. All testing is done at Kingsborough, an approved TLC testing site.
College For Kids (CFK)
Children, ages five (5) through 13, can attend a combination of academic and activity classes on Saturdays and/or Sundays during winter, spring and fall semesters, or Monday through Thursday during the summer, for four (4) or six (6) weeks. The College For Kids program is designed so parents can enroll in a Testing Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC™) or certificate program class while their child is attending CFK program.
Most classes are small and all instructors are dedicated and highly qualified so that children enjoy enrichment activities not ordinarily provided in the public schools. Courses may include, but are not limited to reading and math, creative writing, hands-on instruction in arts, crafts, and musical instruments, fishing, photography, as well as swimming, tennis, gymnastics, dance, self-defense, cricket and soccer. A special sub-section of College For Kids program offers intensive test preparation courses in language arts, mathematics, science and social studies, to prepare third and fourth graders for mandatory State exams given for those grades.
SAT Preparation Program
This program for high school students offers instruction drill, and simulated testing in verbal, math, and test-taking strategy skills in preparation for college entrance examinations. Counseling, advisement on college selection, the application process, financial assistance and scholarship programs are also included.
Liberal Arts
A variety of liberal arts courses serve adults who wish to explore their current interests in the humanities, politics, psychology, foreign languages, and other areas. Adults also register in short-term liberal arts courses to sample the experience of formal instruction in established disciplines, deciding whether they wish to enroll in the College’s credit-based courses and degree programs.
Workforce Development
Building T-7, Ext. 4637
As an integral part of the Office of Continuing Education, Workforce Development, and Strategic Community Partnerships, Workforce Development provides New York’s under - and unemployed residents with the training and skills necessary to advance their current careers or continue toward achieving a higher educational goal. This is accomplished through a series of programs and initiatives in partnership with Kingsborough’s Office of Continuing Education and other departments within Kingsborough, as well as other CUNY and non-CUNY partners. In addition, the office connects with local businesses to develop training that meet the needs of New York’s continually changing economy. The Center is committed to providing our students with the most relevant training and hands-on employment services that will positively serve their long-term career and educational goals.
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