Courses include massage therapy, business administration, health care aide and more
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As we cautiously approach the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are seriously considering a new career.
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Whether they lost their job during the pandemic, put off going to school, or have been inspired to change their path in life, as restrictions begin to ease many people are deciding to go back to school.
And for those in Calgary’s northeast, the opportunity to create the future of their dreams couldn’t be more convenient. In September 2021, MaKami College opened the doors to its newest campus — a 137,000 square foot space in Marlborough Mall previously occupied by Sears.
The college offers high-quality training in high-demand occupations such as Massage Therapy, Business Administration, Health Care Aide and more.
“We’re very excited to have our new campus in Marlborough,” says Marija Pavkovic-Tovissi, MaKami’s CEO. “We truly believe we have the opportunity to change even more people’s lives through the power of education.”
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The new campus is the third for the private vocational college, including its original location which was opened in Edmonton in 2001, and its Horton Road facility in Calgary’s southwest.
Since MaKami College first opened its doors, the school has trained thousands of people — many of them newcomers to Canada — for careers that have let them realize their dreams.
The school focuses on offering supports to help students succeed, such as one-on-one tutoring, English as a Second Language training and even counselling. The approach is novel to post-secondary institutions, and carries on a tradition of education that started with its founding family.
Pavkovic-Tovissi was just a girl of seven when she came to Canada from the former Yugoslavia with her parents and younger brother. She recalls the challenges her parents faced in a new country where their previous education and work experience meant nothing to employers.
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It led her parents to follow a path of lifelong education, she says, allowing them to move up in the world and make a better life for their family.
“Every time my mom or my dad graduated from something, our lives improved. So I saw the direct impact of generational change and what’s possible when a person re-educates,” she says.
As an adult, Pavkovic-Tovissi started MaKami with a single class of eight students learning massage therapy. It grew to 24 students the next semester and then 48. Today, MaKami has grown to include programs for other professions with high-demand employment prospects.
The school’s Health Care Aide and Business Administration Assistant programs have been particularly popular because of the need for workers and the practical, hands-on knowledge included in the 10-month courses that blend in-person and online learning.
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Its extensive support services to help students succeed are also popular.
“We treat each student as an individual and find out what might be preventing them from being as successful as they could possibly be in post-secondary education,” says Pavkovic-Tovissi. “Then we plan what things we can put in place to help them succeed.”
If you’re looking to start a new future in 2022, MaKami College welcomes you to stop by and find out about more the school’s programs.
“I encourage people to be inspired, to come speak to one of our advisers and see what’s possible — to dream big and go for their goals and dreams.”
You can learn more at MaKamiCollege.com.
This story was created by Content Works, Postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of MaKami College.