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Sauder certificate in strategy excellence,
for example, helps him understand how to
coordinate different teams.
Reuhman isn't chasing any particular
title—he just wants to keep growing and
challenging himself. "For me, it's about
doing interesting and meaningful work,
and helping to solve problems," he elabo-
rates. "As you move up the ladder, you're
solving bigger and bigger problems that
impact more and more people."
Reuhman may be an unusually keen life-
long learner, but his story illustrates how
B.C. post-secondary schools are providing
an ever-broadening range of opportunities
for professionals who want to keep adding
skills throughout their careers.
The idea of mid-career, back-to-school
retooling isn't new. Homer Simpson had
to pass nuclear physics at Springfield
University in the '90s to re-qualify for his
safety inspector job. Reuhman, however,
won't have to share a dorm with 19-year-
olds when he goes to Sauder to accelerate
his career.
B.C. institutions are designing executive
training, continuing education and micro-
credential programs with working profes-
sionals like Reuhman and those in other
fields in mind. These aren't traditional
four-year degrees or two-year diplomas,
but condensed training boosters.
The programs target specific topics and
career waypoints, so senior executives
learning to drive board value, for example,
can work through problems among like-
minded classmates. The schools build their
programs to be concise and flexible, so par-
ticipants don't have to pause their careers.
Learners can choose among programs that
run for a few sessions, in the case of micro-
credentials, or for a few months, in the case
of certificates. They can train in-person,
online or with a hybrid mix; schedules can
be completed via self-paced studies or syn-
chronously timed sessions with classmates.
Each B.C. institution tends to inhabit its
own niche and lean on its own strengths.
Sauder's extensive roster of expert faculty
allows its executive education program to
offer more than 90 courses, covering issues
like communication, marketing, business
development and much more.
UNBC focuses
its efforts on delivering a singular execu-
tive leadership core certificate. Steve Jobs's
advice seems apt for smaller schools: Do not
try to do everything. Do one thing well.
"For me, it's about doing interesting and
meaningful work, and helping to solve
problems. As you move up the ladder,
you're solving bigger and bigger problems
that impact more and more people."
—Ben Reuhman, senior manager for project delivery,
Stemcell Technologies Inc.
CLASS CONTINUED
UBC Sauder's executive
education programs
are designed to further
careers
