Blockchain training is coming to Camosun College. Training in Blockchain—a digital ledger of transactions distributed across a network of computers, making it very difficult to hack—will take place through the college’s recently reopened Continuing Education department.
Camosun director of strategic initiatives/acting director of Continuing Education and Contract Training Jen Stone says Blockchain training at the college is fundamental to the shift in Continuing Education (CE) taking place at the college. The shift will lead to the college’s CE courses focusing on professional studies and industry training as opposed to personal-interest courses, which was much of the focus of the department before it closed due to the pandemic.
“It gave us opportunity to kind of remodel and restructure how we wanted to come out of the gates this fall,” she says. “For me, this is a really good example of how we should be moving forward, working with industry partners and experts in industry who already have curriculum developed on these courses; we’re able to be responsive and proactive in terms of how we respond to industry needs.”
Starting in September of this year, the college will offer three courses on Blockchain. Blockchain Foundations will teach students the foundations of Blockchain, while Digital Transformation for Shipping and Logistics will cover how logistical and supply-chain companies can improve their performance by using digital solutions. The third course, Blockchain Solution Architecture, is for technical leaders who need to make decisions about environmental, architectural, and developmental platforms. Stone says Blockchain training can be applied to all sectors of industry.
“We’ve got this Transformation course—it’s focused on the shipping industry, but really anyone can take it, because it’s sort of [about] institutional transformation using Blockchain,” she says.
Stone says Blockchain can be used in many sectors: shipping, finance, agriculture, or the military, for example.
“[The classes work] in terms of introducing that technical knowledge, both for the technical employees, but also for business leaders who have to make decisions around… transforming their organization, so it fits into different roles,” she says.
For business leaders with a base understanding of Blockchain, the third course, Blockchain Solution Architecture, is likely the one for them, Stone says, but the college has structured the courses to fit students’ needs at various places in their academic career.
“It’s important for everyone to be able to learn. The way we’ve introduced our three courses—there’s that Foundations course, so [it’s good for] business leaders who need to have a basic understanding of what Blockchain is, how they might use it… through Solution Architecture, which is more technical focused, through to that transformation piece—so we’re trying to offer something that will appeal to a wide variety of students.”
All three Blockchain courses will be delivered online. The college is also offering a 90-minute free virtual information session on August 25 from 4:30 to 6:00 pm. Click here for more information.