Interested in learning more about Spanish language and culture? Considering a career change? Thinking about opening a childcare center? Want to learn about designing Web sites or taking digital photos? Intrigued by the wonders of South Africa and the diversity of Milwaukee?

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Continuing Education offers classes, workshops, series, tours, or certificate programs on the above topics and far more.

"We are among the 12 schools and colleges that comprise the university. Much of what we do is focused on professional and career development. Many other of our programs are for personal enrichment," says Interim Dean Mark Krueger.

The UWM School of Continuing Education is in downtown Milwaukee on the sixth and seventh floors of the shops at Grand Avenue Plankinton Building.

The school attracts nearly 30,000 people each year to its more than 1,100 classes, programs and events. Krueger points out, however, that the school goes well beyond its classroom activities.

"Our faculty and staff work on significant research projects, and the school is in the constant process of creating and maintaining community partnerships," he says.

"For many people, we are their first contact with the university. We are the gateway to UWM for a large part of the Southeastern Wisconsin community."

Many courses are tailored to specific work needs the school offers programs for those who work with young people, for example.

Numerous other courses and workshops focus on helping workers develop technical or human resources skills. Other programs help individuals with specific interests, such as starting their own business or learning how to manage a nonprofit agency.

In a growing number of cases, says Krueger, the school brings classes to the workplace, a move that makes sense when employers have a number of employees who need a particular professional development course or series of classes.

The school also offers some classes online.

Other courses are just for fun or personal enrichment. The Fall 2006 catalog, with classes starting from September to January, includes a one-week course on Korean cooking, for example, as well as a series of classes on personal fitness. For budding writers, there’s a Fall Book Festival and a Spring Writers Festival, as well as seminars on writing family memoirs, poetry and nonfiction.

The school also organizes a number of educational travel opportunities, from overnight visits to nearby attractions to two-week visits overseas.

A number of special centers, such as the Small Business Development Center, the Center for Urban Community Development and the Center for Consumer Affairs, also provide ongoing services and programs.

A key focus is individual and workforce development, Krueger notes, adding that the school will soon be offering career counseling and planning as part of its services through a collaborative arrangement with the UWM Career Development Center and the UWM Alumni Association.

Under the School of Continuing Education umbrella are programs for different age groups, ranging from College for Kids/College for Teens to the Guild for Lifelong Learning, which focuses on retirees and others dedicated to keeping learning alive.