If you've heard one too many "thanks, but no thanks" (or more likely nothing at all) from prospective employers, it may be time to consider retraining.

Retraining, or retooling, may be the answer to landing a rewarding new job in the economic downturn. Sharpening and upgrading your skills may even help you keep the job you have or gain promotion —- and a raise! You can actually retrain in a relatively short time (9-12 months) for a job that will increase your chances of getting hired and even pays well. And you wouldn't even have to leave the Island, or necessarily fork out thousands of dollars for tuition.

Bermuda College has an incredible array of programmes to meet the needs of the local community —- and a friendly staff who are dedicated to helping mature students (21 and over). You can opt to study part-time in the evening and/or on weekends, with some courses requiring only two evenings a week.

College recruitment officer Cha'Von Clarke says she encourages mature students to drop by and discuss their options with her or another adviser.

What's more, she points out, free tuition is offered to all qualifying Bermudian students (must be Bermudian, must enroll in credit course, must be first-time College student or have good academic standing as previous student, and must not have a Bachelor's degree).

Many Bermudians probably still think of the College as place to train for a hotel career or gain a liberal arts education before going abroad to college. But Bermuda College is one the Island's unsung successes.

A lot's changed over the years. Bermuda College in 2010 is an institution Bermudians should be proud of —- and take full advantage of. In fact, a number of its courses are now so popular they are currently oversubscribed.

If you are worried about how you will cope going back to school, the College has that covered too.

Its special free academic centre offers advisers and instructors who also serve as tutors. And there is the Smart Thinking online tutorial service and study skills workshops in time management, learning styles, note-taking and test-taking strategies.

As Ms Clarke says: "At Bermuda College, the opportunities are endless.

"There are many people unemployed in Bermuda right now, but may be not doing anything to retool themselves. They are just applying for jobs and hoping for a miracle. But we want them to know the College is here for them. Come in for a chat!"

Ms Clarke says she recognises that those who are unemployed may not have the funds for College; even if they qualify for the free tuition, there is about $1,000 in costs per year/2 semesters for books and other fees.

She said it's the College's hope that more private-sector scholarships for mature students could be offered directly with the College to help the unemployed or those you just can't afford $1,000 a year.

Right now the College offers more than 30 Associate, Certificate and Diploma programmes for traditional and mature students (It has enrollment of around 1136 full and part-time students).

To give you an idea of how the College works, here's a breakdown of its academic divisions:

• Liberal Arts (Associates in Science, Arts, Art & Design, Human Services, Education and more)

• Business and Hospitality (Associates in Hospitality Management, Culinary Arts, Business Administration and Certificates in Office Skills, Office Assistants and Accounting Assistants)

• Applied Science & Technology (Associates, Certificates and Diplomas in Carpentry, Masonry, Welding, Electronics Technology, Mechanics, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning/HVAC and more)

• PACE (Professional and Career Education - specialised training and courses) In addition, the College offers Bachelor and Master degree opportunities through:

- Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Canada (most pursue BA in Child & Youth Studies and BA in Business Administration, Teacher's Certification programme). Students may complete their entire Bachelor degree or certification programme at Bermuda College for Mount Saint Vincent.

- University of Kent (Law/first level/year of the LLB—- will take 1-2 years abroad to complete) "

- Nova Southeastern University in Florida (MBA). Students can complete their entire MBA here on the Island. Also, there is the unique College for Working Adults (CWA) programme, which allows persons interested in obtaining an Associates in Business Administration degree to obtain it as a part-time student (through evening and Saturday morning classes).

This accelerated programme allows students to complete the course work in just two-and-a-half years part time.

Think of the lucrative career possibilities or job security this degree could offer, says Ms Clarke.

The College also offers a growing number of IT courses, including a Diploma in Web Development, Computer Network Engineer, Network Tech., and an Associates Degree in Computer Information Systems. All these programmes can help you land in-demand, well-paying jobs such as systems administrators, helpdesk assistants, junior network engineers, IT technicans, computer analysts, IT sales rep.

If you are not up for the level of study involved in the above IT and degree programmes, PACE may be what you are looking for.

PACE is focused on four main areas:

Management training (through ILM, BOMI and AMA); legal training (through ILEX); custom workforce development programmes; and Finance and Accounting (CMA, CPA). PACE offers a number of locally respected certificate programmes that can be obtained within just nine to 12 months. Anyone with basic reading, writing and computer skills can enroll. No prior educational degree is required and study can be undertaken part-time, in many cases requiring just one or two nights a week.

PACE director Tawana Flood says these certificates can help boost your job security. "We like to say a certificate can keep you in the door longer, or increase your chances of landing a secretarial or administrative job in either the local or international business sectors," she said.

Ms Clarke notes there was a time you could just apply for a receptionist job with no skills, but now many companies are combining receptionist with an office administrator or HR position, to save money. So if you have these skills, you are more likely to land an interview. To that end, certificates offered include:

• Certificate for Administrative Professional

• Certificate in Human Resources Management

• Certificate in General Management

• Certificate in Finance and Accounting

In addition PACE offers:

• Certificate for Childcare Assistant (prepares you to work in a nursery school, pre-school or as a teaching assistant in a primary school)

• Certificate for Nursing Assistants (prepares you for an entry-level position in the health care industry—- making about $900 a week in a doctor's office, hospital, nursing home or service). A full associates in nursing qualification is now offered at the College—- through another dept.

• Certificate in Legal Studies, Certificate for Legal Secretaries (prepares you to work for a law firm, or legal environment as a secretary or paralegal)

• Certificate in Bartending, Dining Room (you can boost your chances of getting hired with formal training in these areas)

Carleen Place, PACE's programme coordinator, says the nursing assistant is one of the most popular programmes and is fully subscribed for the fall. The Childcare Assistant programme has also significantly increased in popularity, she says.

Ms Flood and Ms Place says PACE's mission is to constantly evaluate the courses it offers, and also work with the local workforce to confirm what the actual need is, and then identify what courses the College can add to its offerings.

Next week in this section, learn more about some of the specific new programmes that can help you retrain for a new career (including the trades), and what you can expect to earn in those jobs in Bermuda. Plus, ever ask yourself why there are so many non-Bermudians holding certain jobs? Well why not do something about it and train for that job you see advertised in the paper.

This is, in fact, an area the College has been extremely proactive in. The College has several exciting new courses in the pipeline, which are aimed at moving more Bermudians into jobs that traditionally have been filled by ex-pats. Learn more about them in Part 2 on Retraining next week in Bermuda Works.

For more information, go to the Bermuda College website at http://www.bercol.bm/