(COLUMBIA, Tenn. - Jan. 9, 2014) - - - Columbia State Community College's Center for Workforce Development is offering a variety of professional development courses at the Columbia campus during the month of January. Courses include computer, health care, leadership fundamentals and workplace regulations for anyone who would like to learn new skills or refresh the skills they already have.

During "Introduction to Excel 2010," students will learn to sort and analyze data, design custom charts and graphs, and format worksheets using mathematical formulas. The course will take place Friday, Jan. 10.

Building on the skills and concepts taught in the beginning course, "Intermediate Excel 2010" will provide students with more advanced techniques for using the popular spreadsheet software. The course takes place Jan. 31.

The "Introduction to QuickBooks 2013" course covers banking and billing activities, working with reports and budgets, and protecting and backing up data, as well as other updates from the 2013 software. This class will take place Jan. 17.

Picking up where the introductory class leaves off, "Intermediate QuickBooks 2013" goes beyond the basic concepts and teaches students how to use the more advanced features and applications of the software. The class takes place Jan. 24.

The U.S. health industry faces a formidable task of preparing for the International Classification of Diseases, 10^th revision implementation. The "Medical Coding: Transition to ICD10" class will help medical office personnel to better understand the changes, learn how to use the new codes, and help prepare a strategy to be ICD - 10 ready by the October 2014 compliance date. This class will take place Jan. 17 - 18.

"Fundamentals of Real Estate" teaches a large portion of the Tennessee Real Estate Commission's pre-license course requirements. Topics include the real estate business, agency relationship, contracts, valuation and finance. This course will take place one night a week, Jan. 21 - April 29.

In "Getting Started as a New Leader," learn how to quickly and effectively achieve results as a new leader. Learn how to focus your time and effort on high-priority tasks, effectively lead a team to contribute to the organization's business strategies, and achieve results through others by building strong relationships with team members. This class will take place Jan. 22.

"OSHA Basic Safety" is the basic course on Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Safety regulations, and provides a "quick start" on TOSHA compliance for those who may be newly assigned to safety responsibilities. For those who are already somewhat familiar with the standards, the seminar is an excellent opportunity to fill in the gaps and talk with actual TOSHA compliance officers. The class includes TOSHA's traditional approach to enforcement of these regulations, any new interpretations leading to enforcement changes, and updates on new requirements. Topics covered are Top 25 cited standards, including walking-working surfaces; exit routes, emergency plans and fire; prevention plans; personal protective equipment; machine guarding; lockout/tagout; and electrical safety. This course will take place Jan. 24.

Through practical and project-oriented lessons, "Introduction to Microsoft Access 2010" will teach participants the basic skills necessary to create, manage and run reports on large amounts of data. This class will take place Jan. 28.

For full course descriptions, meeting times, pricing, additional information, and to register for these or other continuing education courses through Columbia State's Center for Workforce Development, call (931) 540-2659 or visit http://registration.xenegrade.com/columbiastate.

Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. As Tennessee's first community college, Columbia State is committed to increasing access and enhancing diversity at all five campuses. Columbia State is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, the sixth largest higher education system in the nation. For more information, please visit www.columbiastate.edu.

Tennessee's Community Colleges is a system of 13 colleges offering a high-quality, affordable, convenient and personal education to prepare students to achieve their educational and career goals in two years or less. We offer associate degree and certificate programs, workforce development programs and transfer pathways to four-year degrees. For more information, please visit us online at tncommunitycolleges.org.