West Windsor, N.J. -The Center for Continuing Studies (CCS) at Mercer County Community College has announced an array of courses to start in September that are designed to give adults a convenient, concentrated route to enhanced skills and new careers. Among the center's popular career programs are business management, computer technology, health care certifications, continuing education for educators, and certifications for the construction field. Classes for personal interest range from cooking and fitness to writing, languages, personal finance and more.

Taught by experts in their fields, many of the courses are offered as certificate series, but also can be taken on an individual basis. Most classes meet in the evening and on weekends on the college's West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road.

With the goal of continuing to address community need, the CCS has added 30 new classes for the fall. According to Carol Clark, director of Continuing Studies, "Most sessions have been developed based on requests from working professionals who are trying to take their careers to the next level or for those who are seeking to change their career direction. We aim to respond quickly to accommodate what people require in their professional development."

A "Back to School Night for Adults" information session will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 28 at 6 p.m. Staff and instructors will be on hand to describe programs, answer questions and offer career advice. Information sessions for specific programs include "Veterinary Assistant" on Thursday, Aug. 23 at 5:30 p.m.; "Clinical Development and Regulatory Affairs" on Wednesday, Sept. 5 at 5:30 p.m.; and "New Pathways to Teaching in New Jersey" on Thursday, Sept. 13 at 5:30 p.m. All sessions will start promptly and are held on the college's West Windsor campus. Check the CCS website here for information session locations or call 609-570-3311.

Among the new business classes are "Business Writing that Works" from Sept. 4-Oct. 16; "Time Management" from Sept. 24-Oct. 11; "Principles of Investing in Real Estate" from Oct. 1-29; "Improve Your Global Culture Intelligence Quotient for Business" from Nov. 12-26; and "Advanced Topics in Bookkeeping" from Dec. 1-Feb. 2.

With computer software courses ranging from the most basic to highly advanced, the CCS introduces "MS Basic Outlook 2010," the latest version of the popular email program, from Oct. 3-17. At the other end of the skills spectrum is "Designing Websites for Smartphones and Tablets" from Dec. 1-15. For those trying to get the most out of their Apple devices, the CCS presents "Exploring the Power of Your iPhone and iPad" Nov. 7-14.

Among the center's courses for prospective teachers are "How to Become an Adjunct Instructor," for those with a master's degree, on Oct. 1 and repeated on Nov. 5; "How to Become an Effective Substitute Teacher," offered in three different sessions during the fall; and "Montessori Teacher Certification," a multi-course program that begins Sept. 4. Those with a college degree who did not complete a traditional teacher preparatory program may enroll in "New Pathways to Teaching in New Jersey." The program begins with a mandatory "Introduction to the Teaching Profession" from Sept. 20-Oct. 22.

Courses will start in September that lead to certificates in the health care field including "Gerontology," "Clinical Development and Regulatory Affairs," "Pharmacy Technician" and "Certified Nurse Aide." Two online certificates focus on alternative approaches: "Complementary and Alternative Medicine" and "Holistic and Integrative Health."

New offerings in the health professions include "Emergency Medical Technician" from Sept. 4-Dec. 20 and "Phlebotomy Technician" from Oct. 8-Dec. 10. New in the Medical Billing/Coding Specialist certificate series are: "ICD9 to 10 Mapping" from Nov. 14-Dec. 19 and "Billers and Coders Medical Terminology" from Nov. 30-Dec. 7.

The Center continues to offer hundreds of classes online for both professional development and personal enrichment. Most courses run for six weeks and include 24 or more hours of instruction. Classes can be accessed from participants' home computers, any time day or night. A list of online courses is available here.

For further information and/or to register for noncredit courses, call (609) 570-3311 or e-mail comed@mccc.edu. The fall 2012 bulletin arrives in the homes of county residents in July and is also available online. Those interested in being added to the Center for Continuing Studies' monthly e-mail newsletter list should contact Brielle Parady at paradyb@mccc.edu.

Short, timely announcements about upcoming courses and scheduling updates are posted to Twitter here.