The University of Lethbridge continually offers opportunities for personal and professional growth and the Department of Information Technology is getting on board with a series of Microsoft Office Suite sessions in the coming months.

Beginning in February, faculty and staff at the U of L will be eligible to participate in the first of these sessions, Entry Level Excel.

This introductory course will be offered over the course of four weeks, with two-hour sessions each Thursday afternoon from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in E640. The first session is Thursday, Feb. 21, followed by sessions on Feb. 28, Mar. 7 and Mar. 14.

"This was something that was consistently identified by our service management tool as a need on campus," says Chris Robinson, manager IT Client Services. "The first session is Entry Level Excel but that should not discourage those who have been using Excel for years because this course is very detailed and can help anyone learn more about the product."

The Excel course is the first of a series of Office Suite courses designed to help faculty and staff get the most out of their office resources. An Outlook Tips and Tricks session is available Mar. 21, followed by three weeks of Entry Level Microsoft Word.

A certified Microsoft Office Suite instructor will teach all sessions.

"We thought it was best to bring somebody in who was well-versed in teaching these products, as opposed to having one of our technicians do the instruction," says Robinson. "We may know the technical aspects of these products very well but we felt it was best to have a teacher conduct the sessions from a less technical point of view."

A new round of courses will begin again in May, including Excel Level 2 and so on.

Only 30 spaces are available per session and it's expected the spots will fill quickly.

For more information, or to take part, contact the Solutions Centre at 403-329-2490, help@uleth.ca or Chris Robinson (chris.robinson@uleth.ca).