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Got an Itch? Scratch a Niche
Flying high or lying low, Connecticut offers a wealth of schooling for specialized areas of expertise
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Business New Haven
4/29/2002
By: Susan Cornell
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These days, kids have a mile-long list of options and specialty classes and camps they can attend.
There's clown camp, traditional baseball camp, tai kwon do, NASA's Space Camp for aspiring astronauts and junior golf camp, to name a few. There are computer and weight-loss camps by the dozens. Kids take gymnastics, Irish step dancing, magic lessons.
For many of us older folks, summers and after-school times were spent playing Spud or Slip 'n' Slide. Today, even kindergartners attend programs to develop various “areas of expertise.” Envious? Want to partake in out-of-the-ordinary training rather than simply shell out major clams for Junior's courses while living your dreams vicariously?
From nails to sails to tractor-trailers, there is a breathtaking array of options in the New Haven area where you can dabble in a new hobby or test-drive a prospective new career. Working days? Not a problem. Niche schools offer evening, weekend and flexible options.
Is gardening your passion, but when it comes to arranging your prized peonies and lovely lilies your green thumbs become all thumbs? Learn professional floral design at the Connecticut Florists Association (CFA)'s Floral Design School.
The basic floral design course includes a predominantly lecture-based format with several classes involving some form of hands-on design work.
Topics include: care and handling of cut flowers, basic floral design, retail flower shop pricing overview, holiday designs, working with balloons, introduction to sympathy designs, green and blooming plants and permanent flowers.
The program, limited to 40 students, is held in the evenings in 12 consecutive weekly sessions at Seagroatt Wholesale Florist in Cromwell. CFA's Floral Design School is approved by the state's Commissioner of Higher Education and can be contacted at 800-352-6946.
Nails a wreck after gardening? Or simply don't wish to wait for an appointment at the salon? Why not try a mini-version of what it takes to become a professional nail technician? You can learn all phases of nail design including sculptured nails, linen and silk nails, nail tips, extensions, gel nails, and nail art design in one 40-hour program.
Says Lorraine Cewe, director of the Connecticut School of Nails in Yalesville, “People all the time attend the school - not as a career change, but simply to learn to do their own nails better, or those of their family.
“I offer a short program and a 150-hour course,” Cewe says. “They can come two nights per week and a Saturday and there's no more than four in a class. Plus, because it's small, it's customized and we can work around people's schedules, ” she adds. The Connecticut School of Nails can be reached at 203-784-0761.
Testosterone calling, and you've always wanted to drive the big rigs? Want to tap your true grit and haul products from Maine to California - or at least around the block? The D&L Tractor Trailer School in Bridgeport was the first truck school in the state to offer one-on-one instruction to students to prepare them to pass the commercial driver's license (CDL) exam.
For those who have never tried operating a tractor trailer and would like to experience an hour as a trucker before making a decision about investing in this type of training (by the way, it costs big money to learn to drive a big rig), he or she may test-drive a tractor trailer unit with an instructor for $250. D&L can be reached at 800-404-ROAD.
One of the more interesting aspects of Worldtek's Travel Agent Classes, which cover basic travel concepts and computer reservations, is that they offer students an “Earn and Learn” program. Classes are taught by travel professionals in the national headquarters of the Worldtek Travel Agency in New Haven. As such, students may make reservations for themselves or friends under the supervision of the director of the school. This gives attendees an excellent hands-on experience as well as a chance to earn money (students receive 20 percent of the commission for booked trips). The school offers two courses: Travel Agent Training and Travel Associate Training.
The Travel Agent Training curriculum covers an introduction to the travel industry; domestic airline reservations, ticketing and ground transportation; tourist geography; reference guides and manual; international airline reservations and ticketing; cruise lines; railway travel; tours and tour wholesalers; and computer instruction. After graduation, students may attend two study sessions to prepare for a test offered by the Institute of Certified Travel Agents. The Travel Associate Training Program follows the same outline but does not include computer instruction. Worldtek Travel School can be reached at 203-772-0470.
So now you can book the trip - but can't speak the lingo. How about learning a new language for leisure travel, business needs or personal pleasure? Berlitz offers new weekend “mini-immersion” programs in Italian and French. Both courses stress practical conversation that students can use to socialize, make travel arrangements and order meals in a new language.
The mini-immersion is a relaxed, three-day course using the Berlitz Method, a teaching style that employs natural conversation and reinforcement in an attempt to make learning enjoyable.
The French and Italian courses are a great way to prepare for a trip, brush up on skills, jump-start a longer learning program - or to have a European adventure.
For those wishing to continue their linguistic and cultural education, the weekend immersions are timed each month so that students can transition into group language-courses for more in-depth study. There are also group instruction and individual instruction options held in the evenings and Saturday mornings.
Says Stamford course director Theresa Us: “You'll learn to speak your new language naturally, building your skills through conversation with our trained instructors. They're all native-fluent, so you learn language the way it's really spoken, plus grammar, reading and writing.”
Us adds: “Berlitz language programs are value-priced to meet your schedule, budget and learning needs. We offer a wide range of language courses and self-study options for everyone.” Berlitz and its franchisees have more than 400 locations in over 50 countries worldwide; Connecticut locations include Stamford, West Hartford and Westport and can be reached at 800-338-9413.
Steve & Doris Colgate's Offshore Sailing School is well known amongst Connecticut seafarers. Founded in 1964 by Olympic sailor Steve Colgate, Offshore Sailing School is recognized around the world as a leading sailing instruction institution. The Colgates claim to offer the most comprehensive, professional instruction found, and the only sailing school with courses approved for college credit. (Funny, though: My husband had to learn to sail at the Captiva Island, Fla. location - yet there's a metropolitan location right here at Brewer's Yacht Haven Marina in Stamford.)
Offshore offers a Learn to Sail course with both classroom and in-water instruction on weekends, weekdays and holidays from May through September. For more information, call Offshore Sailing School at 800-221-4326, or visit its Web site at www.offshore-sailing.com.
Sail the Sounds LLC is another well-known sailing center and serves the Manhattan-to-Nantucket region. Located at the Mystic Shipyard in historic Mystic, Sail the Sounds caters to beginners all the way up to seasoned ocean cruisers.
Says Captain Jim Scoggins, owner and senior instructor: “The sailing school offers internationally recognized American Sailing Association certification to all levels of sailing - from the small daysailer to offshore cruisers up to 50 feet in length. We can also provide the Connecticut Safe Boater examination to meet Connecticut licensing requirements as a part of our Basic Keelboat Certification.”
American Sailing Association (ASA)-certified instructors who are also U.S. Coast Guard-licensed captains teach all courses, Scoggins adds. “Most of our population is age 35 and up, with incomes over $50,000.”
Classes include basic keelboat sailing, basic chart and compass navigation, electronics (GPS, radar, and computer chart plotting) and celestial/sextant use. For more information, call 860-536-5486, or visit the web site at www.sailthesounds.com.
Feeling more like the Caribbean than the Sound? A Taste of the Caribbean is one of the seminar specials on the menu at the Institute of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts at the University of New Haven. The institute has a new partnership with Delia Inc., a distributor of high-end kitchen appliances. Delia hosts and sponsors these seminars in its Wallingford kitchen studio on Wednesday evenings.
Other courses include: “Quick & Healthful Spa-Style Lunches,” “Sauce it Up!,” “An Evening with Jacques Pepin” and “Let's Do Duck!” Classes cost $35 per person. A small tasting of the food prepared is provided as well as beverage service. For more information, call 800-356-3803, ext. 328.
So you can prepare smoked salmon and cucumber galette, and pistachio-crusted goat cheese on a bed of greens with a sherry vinaigrette. But can you mix your guests a drink to wash down the comestibles? A Mixology & Bar Management course might be your cup of tea.
The Boston Bartenders School training takes place behind a working bar, in a simulated “on the job training” pub atmosphere. Student bartenders learn product knowledge including liquors, liqueurs, apéritifs, cordials, ales, beers, wines and other spirits. After graduation, grads can stay up-to-date and in touch with industry trends by attending refresher courses at no additional charge.
The school has been in the business of teaching the art of mixology for over 20 years and is the largest and oldest bartending school in New England. In addition to bartender training, the program offers bar-management training, which covers inventory controls, profit margins, food service, and product ordering. There are ten locations, one of which is in Hamden and can be reached at 203-281-6499.
The Connecticut Culinary Institute in Farmington offers both professional and “hobby” programs. Culinary hobby classes are held Thursday and Friday evenings and Saturday mornings and afternoons. Bring a chef's knife, a kitchen towel and an apron to class. Hobby classes range from “The Taste of Asia” to “Thrillin' Grillin'” to “The Flavors of Vietnam.”
Professional training comes in two flavors: the Advanced Culinary Arts Program and the Pastry and Baking Program. The Connecticut Culinary Institute is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). The school is also approved by the state's Commissioner of Higher Education. For further information, CCI may be reached at 860-677-7869 or on the Web at www.ctculinary.com.
There's nothing like a bracing massage after driving the big rig and being wined and dined. The Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy offers weekend workshops for “hands-on” basic strokes. Says Sam Balber, weekend coordinator, “The Discovery Workshop that runs on Saturday evenings and all day on Sunday is primarily for those on the borderline - not positive about the career change - or for the person who wants to give a better massage. It's hands-on learning of the basic strokes.”
The workshop is designed for participants to be able to experience giving and receiving massage using basic Swedish massage techniques. Those who pursue the field in a two-year program may find themselves in hospitals, gyms, private practice, in the corporate massage arena or even in a doctor's office. The centers are located in Newington and Westport and can be reached at 203-221-7325 or on the Web at www.ccmt.com.
Learning to fly a hot-air balloon may be the adventure of a lifetime. Most training flights take place in the off-season, from November through April, or on weekday mornings, although hot air ballooning is a year-round activity. The time it takes and the number of lessons vary with each individual. The price per lesson also varies depending on many factors such as whose balloon is used for the flights, and group versus private lessons. Adventure Balloon in Plymouth can be contacted at 860-584-1300 for additional information.
Or why not learn to fly a helicopter? One can take off in a Private Pilot Program through Northeast Helicopters at the Ellington Airport (860-871-2054).
Whether you want to reach the stars or do your nails, the options are endless. Go for it.
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