It’s all smiles at Durham College’s 2010 spring convocation ceremony as the college’s Second Career program students shake hands and cross the stage to become college graduates.

Durham College’s 2010 spring convocation on June 18 was a proud time for many, especially for students enrolled in the provincial government’s Second Career program.

Launched in 2008, Second Career is a provincial government program that provides laid-off Ontarians with the opportunity to re-train for new jobs in high-demand careers. Sue Hawkins, the college’s Second Career advisor was very impressed with the students’ final results.

“The students exceeded my expectations,” she said. “Most of them have been out of school for 10 to 30 years, but they’re dedicated and hard-working.”

Approximately 139 Second Career students graduated during the college’s three ceremonies with 102 students receiving Presidential honours and eight with the highest mark in their programs. In addition, one received a Durham College medal for having the highest-ranking mark in any one-year post-secondary program and one graduate received a student leadership award.

The highest number of Second Career graduates for 2010 came from the Court Support Services program offered through the School of Justice & Emergency Services, but there were a variety of students from other programs including Advanced Law Enforcement, Dental Reception and Administration, Energy Audit Techniques, Web Development and many more. Nearly 400 students registered with the program for the 2009-2010 academic school year and the number of graduates for next year will likely exceed this year’s count.

“It’s an opportunity for students to do something they’ve always dreamed of,” said Hawkins. “They want to do well and they want to graduate.”