Job Training & Education   

This class prepares students to receive a Flagger Certification card, which is valid for three years in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Students must be at least 18 years old and bring a valid State ID card or Driver's License to the class. There is an open-book test at the end of class, in which you must have a passing score of 80% to receive your certification.

Course Details:

• The class is full-day for full certification and partial-day for recertification. We do not offer shorter recertification classes at this time unless you request Customized Training for a full class of recertifications. Contact communityed@pencol.edu or 360-417-5683 for more information.
• Students receive a Traffic Control Flagger Certification Handbook (yours to keep and reference on the job).
• Students take an open-book test at the end of the class.
• Successful completers receive a Flagger Certification Card.
• Students must be at least 18 years of age.

This class prepares students to receive a Flagger Certification card, which is valid for three years in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Students must be at least 18 years old and bring a valid State ID card or Driver's License to the class. There is an open-book test at the end of class, in which you must have a passing score of 80% to receive your certification.

Course Details:

• The class is full-day for full certification and partial-day for recertification. We do not offer shorter recertification classes at this time unless you request Customized Training for a full class of recertifications. Contact communityed@pencol.edu or 360-417-5683 for more information.
• Students receive a Traffic Control Flagger Certification Handbook (yours to keep and reference on the job).
• Students take an open-book test at the end of the class.
• Successful completers receive a Flagger Certification Card.
• Students must be at least 18 years of age.

Wilderness First Responder (WFR) is the worldwide standard in wilderness medical education and is a great choice for those regularly adventuring or working in remote environments. The WFR certification is a common requirement for outdoor professionals including those working in adventure guiding, ecotourism, search & rescue and more. Certification is offered through Wilderness Medical Associates International (WMA). Do you already have your WFR and need re-certification? Learn about upcoming WFR Recertification courses. 

Continue learning the third most commonly used language in the United States, American Sign Language! Build on the basics in this continuation class. This is a great class if you've taken ASL for Beginners 1 with us, or if you have some foundational knowledge of ASL including the alphabet, numbers and greetings. 

Open to students 16 years of age and up. 

Please see Student Learning Outcomes and CEU Process. 

This level focuses on increasing Spanish vocabulary and using interactive practice of pronunciation through dialogue and role-play. Students develop meaningful appreciation and an understanding of grammatical concepts. To complement the language skills, the student will acquire survival key points for traveling and knowledge about the cuisine of Spanish-speaking cultures. This course now includes access to Canvas for easy reference to learning documents!

Prerequisite: Spanish Language 1 or equivalent experience. Students with some basic Spanish speaking experience are welcome and encouraged to sign up for this class. Students will learn how to express opinions and have basic casual conversations, understand familiar topics, and hold conversations about routines, travels, experiences and hobbies.

Open to students 16 years of age and up, or by permission by instructor. Students taking this class for Continuing Education Units (CEUs) must attend 80% of classes. Email communityed@pencol.edu for your CEU Verification Letter at the completion of class.

Learning Outcomes:

• Build on basic sentence structure 
• Emphasis on conversation 
• Grammar and vocabulary 
• Cultural immersion 
• Practical application scenarios  

Build on your existing Spanish skills to reach an intermediate level of comprehension, vocabulary, and idioms. This course strengthens your ability to understand and speak through practical scenarios, encouraging you to apply your skills in real-life contexts. You’ll also enjoy virtual travel experiences that showcase the rich cultures of Spain, Central America, and South America. This course now includes access to Canvas for easy reference to learning documents!

Prerequisite: Spanish Language 2 or equivalent experience. Students with a background who are able to hold a conversation in Spanish are welcome and encouraged to sign up for this class. Students will be taught to negotiate, persuade, request and express themselves effectively. 

Open to students 16 years of age and up, or by permission by instructor. Students taking this class for Continuing Education Units (CEUs) must attend 80% of classes. Email communityed@pencol.edu for your CEU Verification Letter at the completion of class.

Learning Outcomes:

• Enhanced vocabulary 
• Improved communication skills 
• Cultural exploration 
• Develop effective sentence structures
• Practical application scenarios  

Learn the third most commonly used language in the United States, American Sign Language! We will start at the beginning and build a foundation in the language and culture of the Deaf in the United States and most of Canada. No previous knowledge of ASL or Deaf culture needed, we will provide you with the basics and build upon those skills.

Open to students 16 years of age and up. 

Please see Student Learning Outcomes and CEU Process.

Discover the joys of learning Spanish with a native speaker in this engaging 8-week course! You'll build the skills needed to communicate effectively in everyday situations, gaining the confidence to hold simple conversations in Spanish. Whether you're interested in travel, culture, or simply expanding your horizons, this course offers a dynamic environment where you can explore topics that matter to you. This course now includes access to Canvas for easy reference to learning documents!

Students with no Spanish speaking experience are welcome and encouraged to sign up for this class. Students will learn to ask and answer basic questions (name, nationality, preferences) and understand simple, slow speech conversations in predictable contexts. 

Learning Outcomes:

• Elementary Spanish vocabulary and phrases
• Basic grammar
• Emphasis on beginning conversation
• Cultural overview 
• Basic conversation scenarios
   

Join us to start your Spanish language journey and connect with a vibrant culture! Open to students 16 years of age and up, or by permission by instructor. Students taking this class for Continuing Education Units (CEUs) must attend 80% of classes. Email communityed@pencol.edu for your CEU Verification Letter at the completion of class.

If you've already taken Spanish 1, consider signing up for Spanish 2. 

Organize, calculate, analyze, revise, update, and present your data in ways that help the decision makers in your organization. This course provides you with a foundation for Excel knowledge and skills, which you can build upon to eventually become an expert in data analysis.

Required: 

• Access to Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Excel for Office 365 (Desktop or Online) Part 1 (appx. $30.12)

Please see CEU procedure and Student Learning Outcomes.
 

This class prepares students to receive a Flagger Certification card, which is valid for three years in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Students must be at least 18 years old and bring a valid State ID card or Driver's License to the class. There is an open-book test at the end of class, in which you must have a passing score of 80% to receive your certification.

Course Details:

• The class is full-day for full certification and partial-day for recertification. We do not offer shorter recertification classes at this time unless you request Customized Training for a full class of recertifications. Contact communityed@pencol.edu or 360-417-5683 for more information.
• Students receive a Traffic Control Flagger Certification Handbook (yours to keep and reference on the job).
• Students take an open-book test at the end of the class.
• Successful completers receive a Flagger Certification Card.
• Students must be at least 18 years of age.

Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA) builds on everything found in the WFA course with increased emphasis on stabilizing and monitoring someone sick or injured over a longer duration of time, when definitive care (i.e., an ambulance, clinic or hospital) could be more than a few hours or even more than a day away. The WAFA allows time for more intensive patient assessment drills, practice scenarios and case studies.

Specific topics include:

• Critical body systems
• System for assessing a patient
• Recognizing emergencies and calling for help
• Stopping a bleed, CPR
• Moving a patient
• Musculoskeletal and spine injuries and splinting
• Wound management
• Recognizing and treating anaphylaxis
• Environmental topics such as lightening, cold and heat related injuries, water immersion and toxins
• Addressing common medical conditions in the backcountry setting
• Documentation Medical legal considerations

Certification is valid for 3 years and includes Adult, child and infant CPR following AHA/ILCOR standards. To re-certify take another WAFA course before your cert expires, or consider upgrading to a Wilderness First Responder (WFR).

Are you curious about how artificial intelligence (AI) is shaping our world? Join us for this engaging and accessible community education course designed to demystify AI and help you understand its impact on everyday life. From smart assistants and recommendation systems to powerful tools like ChatGPT, we'll explore how AI works, where it shows up, and how to use it responsibly.

No technical background is required! Discover the history, opportunities, and challenges of AI and gain hands-on experience with practical tools that can improve your personal and professional life. Empower yourself with knowledge in this fascinating field that's changing the world.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

•  Understand the history, foundations, and evolution of AI.
• Define and explain common AI terms and concepts.
• Identify where AI appears in everyday life.
• Understand the ethical considerations, standards, and risks associated with AI.
• Confidently use AI tools (like ChatGPT) for personal, educational, and professional purposes.
• Develop a personal strategy for engaging with AI thoughtfully and responsibly.

This course builds upon the foundational knowledge presented in the Excel 365 Level 1 course and will help start you down the road to creating advanced workbooks and worksheets that can help deepen your understanding of organizational intelligence. The ability to analyze massive amounts of data, extract actionable information from it, and present that information to decision makers is at the foundation of a successful organization that can compete at a high level.

Prerequisite: Excel Level 1 or equivalent experience

Required: 

• Access to Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Excel for Office 365 (Desktop or Online): Part 2 (appx $30.12)

Please see CEU procedure and Student Learning Outcomes.
 

Learn how to use PivotTables to summarize, group, chart and analyze data effectively in Microsoft Excel.

Advances in technology have made it possible to store ever increasing amounts of data. Along with this, the need to analyze that data and gain actionable insight is greater than ever. You already have experience working with Excel and creating basic PivotTables to summarize data. But, Excel can do much more. Being able to harness the power of advanced PivotTable features and create Pivot Charts will help you to gain a competitive edge. You will not only be able to summarize data for you to analyze, but also organize the data in a way that can be meaningfully presented to others. This leads to data-driven business decisions that have a better chance for success for everyone involved. During this class, the instructor demonstrates the concepts while you perform the tasks at the same time.

Required: 

• Microsoft Excel for Office 365/2021: Data Analysis with PivotTables (appx $15.98)
• Access to Microsoft Excel

Pre-Requisites: Basic experience with Microsoft Excel.

Please see CEU procedure and Student Learning Outcomes.
 

We are now living in the age of big data. Data is being collected all the time and for increasingly detailed transactions. This can lead to an overwhelming amount of data, which brings about a need for people who can analyze large amounts of data quickly. Fortunately, Excel provides Power Pivot to help you organize, manipulate, and report on your data in the best way possible. Since a tool is only as good as the person using it, it is important to gain a solid understanding of Power Pivot to maximize your effectiveness when analyzing data.

Prerequisite: Excel Level 1 or equivalent experience

Required: 

• Access to Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Excel for Office 365/2021: Data Analysis with Power Pivot (appx. $15.98)

Please see CEU procedure and Student Learning Outcomes.
 

Copilot Chat is a hands on, practical course designed for adults who want to save time, work more efficiently, and feel confident using AI at work and in everyday projects. You'll learn how to use Copilot Chat to analyze files, write and refine content, generate presentations, create images, and automate common tasks - without needing technical or AI experience. Through real world examples and guided practice, you'll discover how to ask better questions, get more useful results, and use Copilot in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Whether you're new to AI or already experimenting, this course helps you turn curiosity into confidence and productivity.

This will be a live, online class offered via Zoom. It is a combination of demonstration and hands-on learning.

Student Learning Outcomes:

• Use Copilot Chat to create effective prompts and extract meaningful insights from documents and messages.
• Apply Copilot in Word to generate, revise, and summarize professional documents.
• Use Copilot in Excel to analyze data, identify trends, and create visual summaries using natural language instructions.
• Build presentations in PowerPoint by generating slides, improving structure, and creating speaker notes with Copilot.
• Improve communication in Outlook by drafting messages, summarizing conversations, and preparing meeting follow ups with Copilot.
• Create and use Copilot agents to automate tasks and support common workflows.
• Generate and refine AI images to support documents, presentations, and creative projects.

This class prepares students to receive a Flagger Certification card, which is valid for three years in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Students must be at least 18 years old and bring a valid State ID card or Driver's License to the class. There is an open-book test at the end of class, in which you must have a passing score of 80% to receive your certification.

Course Details:

• The class is full-day for full certification and partial-day for recertification. We do not offer shorter recertification classes at this time unless you request Customized Training for a full class of recertifications. Contact communityed@pencol.edu or 360-417-5683 for more information.
• Students receive a Traffic Control Flagger Certification Handbook (yours to keep and reference on the job).
• Students take an open-book test at the end of the class.
• Successful completers receive a Flagger Certification Card.
• Students must be at least 18 years of age.

This class prepares students to receive a Flagger Certification card, which is valid for three years in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Students must be at least 18 years old and bring a valid State ID card or Driver's License to the class. There is an open-book test at the end of class, in which you must have a passing score of 80% to receive your certification.

Course Details:

• The class is full-day for full certification and partial-day for recertification. We do not offer shorter recertification classes at this time unless you request Customized Training for a full class of recertifications. Contact communityed@pencol.edu or 360-417-5683 for more information.
• Students receive a Traffic Control Flagger Certification Handbook (yours to keep and reference on the job).
• Students take an open-book test at the end of the class.
• Successful completers receive a Flagger Certification Card.
• Students must be at least 18 years of age.

How do you grab and maintain an audience's focus when you're asked to present important information? By being clear, organized, and engaging. Today's audiences are tech savvy, accustomed to high-impact multimedia content, and stretched for time. By learning how to use the vast array of features and functionality contained within PowerPoint 365, you will gain the ability to organize your content, enhance it with high-impact visuals, and deliver it with a punch. In this course, you will use PowerPoint 365 to begin creating engaging, dynamic multimedia presentations.

Required: 

• Access to Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft PowerPoint for Office 365 (Desktop or Online): Part 1 (appx $22.82)

Please see CEU procedure and Student Learning Outcomes.