more than keeping cool these days. But September is only two weeks away, and once that signpost has been passed, it won't be long before the Bermuda College throws open its doors to welcome a new crop of students eager to take advantage of its Adult and Continuing Education programme.

As always, those responsible for the programme have been working hard to offer the widest and most interesting range of courses yet. As a result, part-time students will have more than 150 to choose from this academic year, 20 of them new, others revamped.

"The College is continuing to develop new courses and programmes to meet the training and re-training needs of our adult population,'' Dean Peter Doyles explained.

Whether it's a worldwide navigation qualification, effective parenting, gourmet cooking, an associate degree in Human Services, intermediate German, computer science or backyard motor mechanics you're after, the College has it all! While some courses require serious application, complete with homework assignments and examinations, others are purely recreational. In some cases, the option of studying seriously or simply "auditing'' (sitting in) on classes is given.

Apart from these choices, students can also determine the length of their commitment to part-time study -- from weeks to years -- depending on what they choose.

New additions to the university transfer programme, where students earn college credits, include: Introductory Applied Mathematics (Operations Research); Reading Films; The Sociology of Religion; Data Management; Banking -- the Legal Environment; and Supervisory Skills.

Teleconferencing will be used for two new courses in the University of New Brunswick's Bachelor of Nursing/Registered Nurse degree programme: Nursing Information, which introduces students to the use of computers in health sciences, and Health Care System, which examines its development, structure and function.

Beginners' Wordperfect, a popular word processing package, is the latest addition to Computer Information Systems section, and will teach students to format, edit and print documents.

Bermuda College chef/trainer Mr. Leo Betschart has been persuaded to enter the evening classroom to impart the secrets of making mouth-watering pastries, fancy breads, and exotic desserts. With a return to indoor entertaining on the horizon, this new addition to the Gourmet Cooking section couldn't be more timely for hosts and hostesses.

Tying in with the current emphasis on proper training for parents and those caring for pre-schoolers, young children and geriatrics, the College has beefed up its Child and Health Studies programme with three new courses.

The Interpersonal Communication and Study Skills course in both Geriatric and Child Care will teach students how to prepare and write reports and use effective study methods when pursuing certificates as either geriatric aides or child care assistants.

"We realised that not everyone taking the certificate programme had those requisite basic skills, so we designed this course to help them,'' Mr. Doyles explained.

As the twig is bent, so grows the tree: That's the root of the new Effective Parenting course, which will help parents, prospective parents and members of the helping professions who work with parents to improve their skills.

"Typically, people enter parenting with very little preparation,'' course leader Dr. Denise Patton King explained. "In life, we prepare for, study, practice, serve an apprenticeship, or seek out people who can help us with most things we do, but with marriage and parenting we seem to think it is not necessary.'' She noted that, whereas in the past parenting apprenticeships took place in the home, with children learning from their elders, today grandmothers were playing a major role in parenting grandchildren. In any case, the parenting methods of 30 years ago were not always appropriate now.

"Family types have also changed. There are more divorced and blended families; and single parents often find themselves looking after two generations -- their children, and their parents, so different parenting skills are required,'' Dr. Patton King explained.

Emphasising that the course was for both fathers and mothers, she said among the many things parents would learn were: how to keep open the lines of communication with their children -- an important asset in the war against drugs; changing destructive behaviour patterns, such as verbal and physical abuse; child development, and effective discipline.

Certified sex educator Miss Margaret Swift will teach the new Sexuality, Social Issues and Relationships course, which focuses on human sexuality, emotional development, and family life in the 1990s.

"This course is for anyone interested in personal development, and a lot of people are,'' Miss Swift explained. "Students can be professional, or non-professional.'' Asked how personal such a course would be, Miss Swift said, "It is not for anyone seeking personal sex therapy. Rather, it takes an overall look at sex and social issues. There will be lectures, discussions, and a lot of visual material.

"The course book is a self-assessment manual on sexuality, and we will be doing a lot of written exercises throughout which tie in with whatever topic we are discussing. These exercises can be done at home, alone or with a partner.

"Students will also be encouraged to keep a journal to keep in touch with their feelings on the issues we discuss. In addition, they will be required to look through newspapers, watch television and generally note current related issues in the community, such as condoms and rape.

Miss Swift also planned to have community members address the students on specific topics, such as prostitution.

"I'm really excited about this course,'' the new lecturer said of her first College assignment.

Equally excited is Mrs. Helen Pearman Ziral, associate dean in charge of child and health studies and distance (via satellite) education, because of the two associate degree programmes her bailiwick is now offering: Associate in Arts (Human Services), and Associate in Human Services.

"These are designed specifically for adults. The Associate in Arts is for anyone wanting to go on to earn a Bachelor's degree. It would be useful for someone interested in teaching, social work, or any job involving working with others,'' Mrs. Ziral explained. "It is the first of what we hope will be more to come. Now that we have an associate degree in child care, we are hoping to expand that to include other areas such as gerontology and addictions.'' Mrs. Ziral said that the Associate in Human Services degree was designed for people working with children who wished to remain, at least for now, in the work force whilst upgrading their skills.

She also noted that Certificate for Childcare Assistants programme replaced the former Nursery Training Certificate. Students would now be trained as para-professionals to work alongside licensed practitioners in nursery schools.

"There was a need to expand the programme to include children from pre-school to age 12, and students will have a choice of doing pre-school or school age training,'' the associate dean explained.

Drawing attention to the Centre's teleconferences facility, Mr. Doyles said two day-long satellite hook-ups were scheduled for October and November, with others to follow. The first was geared to working women, while the second was for middle and senior managers.

Part-time Studies directories have been distributed to all post offices, as well as hardware stores, doctors' and dentists' offices, and the King Edward Hospital lobby, and the Transport Control Department.

COME BACK TO SCHOOL! From left, Dean Mr. Peter Doyles, associate dean Ms Helen Pearman Ziral, Miss Margaret Swift and Dr. Denise Patton King are part of a large team preparing to "put a little class into your night-life'' when the Bermuda College's Centre for Adult and Continuing Education opens its doors in September.