CAREER START : Night School Proving Big Draw in Southland

Whether it’s for a refresher course for registered nurses or a class in Macintosh computer skills, Southern Californians are returning to night school.

Several local colleges and universities report that they ran out of course catalogues this fall because they simply did not anticipate such high demand. Spring schedules are filled with practical, job-related classes that may enhance a worker’s value.

“We’re getting many, many more people coming back in,” who have not taken a class for years, said Sally Coffey, director of community programs for Golden West College in Huntington Beach.

A class in “Professional Selling Without Fear or Force,” for example, attracted more than 50 people in the fall. Either people are leaving other careers for sales, Coffey said, or the people who are in sales want to sharpen their skills to compete better.

Nursing classes have attracted people who may not have worked in the field for 10 years. Now, with spouses out of work, they are polishing their skills and returning to a profession that the recession has barely nicked.

Demand is also up for legal assistance training, and classes teaching computers, foreign languages and small-business skills.

The basic classes in business, liberal arts, computer science and communications are offered by many schools. The following are some of the unusual programs offered at schools in southern Los Angeles and Orange counties:

West Coast University, Los Angeles and Orange counties: This school describes itself as the “the university for working adults,” and it specializes in bringing classes to work sites to make learning more convenient. Classes are held at the offices of Rockwell International, McDonnell Douglas and General Dynamics, for example. These companies and others host engineering, computer science, business and management courses.

The school grants associate, undergraduate and graduate degrees. Tuition is $275 per unit.

El Camino College, Torrance: Vocational, business and computer courses. Special offerings in the medical field include: gerontology, medical assistance, radiologic technology and respiratory care. Tuition per unit is $5 for California residents, $112 for non-residents.

Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa: As a community college with an adult education program that is revised three times a year, Orange Coast’s offerings are especially sensitive to changes in the job market. This spring, the school will offer new courses in technical writing, computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing, welding and airline careers.

Tuition per unit is $6 for residents, $102 for non-residents.

Cal State Fullerton: Teaching credential programs are at the core of this school’s mission. The basic credential program, which trains teachers for kindergarten to 12th grade, is open to applicants with a bachelor’s degree.

Residents do not pay tuition, but they pay a fee of $231 per semester, up to six units, and $402 per semester beyond six units. Non-residents pay the same fees in addition to $205 per unit in tuition.

Long Beach City College: One of the few area programs for hotel, catering and restaurant management.

It also offers one of the broadest selections of classes that lead to jobs in the crafts and trades. Also offered is an extensive array of courses for so-called pink-collar jobs: legal secretary, home economics assistant, accounting clerk, clerk-typist, data entry, medical assistant, secretarial science, child-care and word-processing specialist.

Tuition is $102 per unit for non-residents and $5 per unit for residents.

Cal State Long Beach: If you’re interested in things international, the university’s Pacific Rim Institute offers Saturday classes on how to start an import-export business or become a customs broker.

Cal State Long Beach is also well-known for its certificate programs. Among them are administrative courses for those interested in working for a nonprofit organization, a doctor’s office or insurance company.

In the computer field, courses are offered in security management, graphic design and business skills using IBM or Apple Macintosh computers.

Tuition is $95 per unit.

Rancho Santiago College, Santa Ana: A large number of support services distinguish this college. First among them is a separate Assessment and Employment Center in Santa Ana’s Honer Plaza. The center offers counseling, aptitude and ability testing, and job referral services.

Rancho Santiago also offers special classes for disabled adults, residency and citizenship training, veterans services and parenting courses.

Tuition per unit is $5 for residents, $100 for non-residents.

Pacific Coast University, Long Beach: This is a small school--only 45 students are admitted each year--where one can earn a law degree by attending classes three nights a week. The four-year program prepares students to take the California Bar Examination. Tuition is $895 a year.

Biola University, La Mirada: This four-year school for Christians offers an organizational leadership degree for men and women over 25 years old who have completed two years of college. Tuition averages $3,200 per term, and a bachelor’s degree can be completed in three terms, according to the school.

UC Irvine: The extension school offers a certificate program in becoming a teacher of English as a second language. It has also put together career development classes: a job search workshop, a course in career exploration, career vocational aptitude testing, corporate image update, sales exploration, basic assertiveness training and negotiation skills workshop.

Students pay a flat fee per course, ranging from about $55 to $325.