It's springtime and change is in the air! Check out our new Center for Research and Innovation Custom College (CRI CC) newsletter format below. This is only one of the exciting changes ahead for CRI CC this summer. Keep reading our monthly newsletter for more information about the great things ahead for our organization and our clients!

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Are you tired of struggling for business and professional success? Take advantage of CRI CC's upcoming courses and manage your future with confidence! 

Successful professionals need to get the most out of all personal and customer contacts. Learn a professional process for generating new referrals, ask better questions to stimulate creativity, and connect your clients to others with CRI CC's "Nine Rules of Networking," a Dale Carnegie training co-sponsored with the Bemidji Chamber of Commerce in May. If your professional interactions are in the 'virtual' world, then the upcoming course "Social Media for Business I," also co-sponsored with the Bemidji Chamber, will be the event for you. Maintain a contemporary image and show your customers that your business is engaged with today's technology. When you want to gain business by increasing the effectiveness of every interaction with your clients, our classes will show you how!

If your efforts are to find financial stability, CRI CC has a number of classes that will fit the bill. "An Introduction to Mapping Your Retirement" is a free Brown Bag event we are offering in May to get participants thinking about maintaining their health, managing their money, and living well in their senior years. This event is an introduction to the "Mapping Your Retirement – Full Course" offered in June that will combine in-person learning with online discussion to support and encourage participants to develop integrated plans for fulfilling retirements. Profit from the combined skills of Certified Retirement Coach Debbie Drinkard Grovum and her co-instructor Dr. Boyd Dressler of Bozeman, Montana, and ease your mind about the vital matter of retirement planning.

Since scarce resources seem to define today's business and non-profit climate, stabilizing organizational finances is another essential component of success in today's world. CRI CC offers fundraising and grant writing courses so you can maintain a budget that enables the execution of your organization's mission. CRI CC's online "Grant Writing" course begins the first week of June with instructor Nate Dorr. This excellent class provides a practical and interactive experience during which you will actually write a 5-7 page grant proposal that you can use as a model in future grant writing. Later in June, Dr. Charles Alberti, a local expert with a national reputation, will lead an intensive one-day "Fundraising for Non-Profits" course. Mark your calendar today for these exciting learning opportunities.

Think of CRI CC when it's time to update your technical, trade, and healthcare skills as well. We offer a number of classes that offer Continuing Education Units (CEUs), certifications, and other credential updates. Click on the links below to learn about the upcoming courses CRI CC is offering for working professionals:

EMT Practical Exam, Complete your EMT certification with this test at Northwest Technical College on May 8.

Home Health Aide, This online course for Minnesota CNAs starts daily!

Lock-Out/Tag-Out, Safety professionals should register now for this valuable May course.

Minnesota County Biological Survey—Searching for the Wild and Rare in Beltrami County and Regional Landscape Planning, Natural resources professionals trust CRI CC for continuing education needs such as these upcoming May and June events.

Computer Forensics, Learn how to find and preserve evidence left on computers and earn 45 Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) credits via this online course.

Attention all community members interested in the continuing education offered by the Academy of Lifelong Learning (ALL). Mark your calendar for the statewide lifelong learning conference coming to Bemidji this fall! The gathering will be on October 14 and 15. Keep reading the CRI CC newsletter for updates as this event approaches.

Did you know that almost all CRI CC classes can be customized for your organization? Learn how your employees can benefit from the expertise of our instructors. Bring one of our standard classes to your worksite or have CRI CC develop something tailored specifically for your organization. Contact us today to find out more! Also, watch our calendar for all new course information.

CRI’s mission is to create opportunities through workforce, professional, and organizational development.Click here to let us know how we can better accomplish this mission and support your business success via our customized training programs, multimedia development, and other services. Upon request this document can be made available in alternate formats, please contact CRI for assistance. If you are taking a class from CRI and need a reasonable accommodation for a disability, such an accommodation can be made available upon advance request. Please contact CRI as soon as possible. For TTY communication, contact the Minnesota Relay Service at 612-297-5353 or 1-800-627-3529.