Your search for a training program will require various considerations depending on whether you are looking for a first-time training experience, a change of career or professional development. Full-time or part-time programs, distance programs, intensive programs, private schools... there are many options! Visit the following sites to learn about opportunities that await you.

1- CanLearn — Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
www.canlearn.ca

When it comes to education and training, a good plan of attack can make all the difference. CanLearn has a large collection of tools, information and resources to help you create that plan.

Whether you are looking for information on post-secondary institutions and programs, advice on career possibilities or the straight facts on how you can finance your education, CanLearn can help. The "Find It!" section on the Web site contains a comprehensive directory of Canadian learning institutions and resources, and a Toolkit full of practical Web sites to help you with your studies.

When you're ready to make the leap into the world of work, visit the "On-line Counsellor" and browse through hundreds of questions and answers on a wide variety of topics. If you can't find what you're looking for in the archives, simply e-mail your question to the On-line Counsellor and you'll receive a personal reply within 72 hours.

When it comes to that big question, "How am I going to pay for it?", CanLearn provides practical tools to budget for success, locate scholarships and bursaries, and learn about government student loans and other federal and provincial programs and services for learners.

2- Career-College.com — List of Schools
www.careercollege.com

You will find a list, by province, of career colleges throughout the country (click on "College"). Links to each college's Web site are provided and, in many instances, there is a direct link to program information or an on-line application form. This is a very useful site for those wishing to pursue technical training.

3- Collegeview
www.collegeview.com

Collegeview is a free-of-charge on-line college search service with profiles of all the accredited colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. You can take virtual tours of hundreds of schools, submit college applications electronically, and find information about careers, scholarships and financial aid, and career planning.

4- National Association of Career Colleges (NACC)
www.nacc.ca

This site lists most private training institutions across Canada. Simply click on the "Active & Associate Members" icon to find a list of all the institutions, sorted by province. The location of the college and the programs it offers appear beside the college name.

5- School Finder
www.schoolfinder.com

School Finder is an extensive search engine for Canadian colleges, career colleges, universities, graduate schools and on-line training. The Web site describes each institution in detail, including the programs it offers. There are also links to each school's Web site and, in many cases, an on-line tour and a form that allows you to request more information. You can perform simple searches for institutions or programs, but you will have to register (free of charge) to do more complex searches. The site also contains a great deal of information about scholarships, searchable by institution and program.

CIP: On School Finder, you can explore training options that fit your career interests. At www.schoolfinder.com/careers, you will find hundreds of careers described, with a list of relevant training options and scholarships.

6- University/Colleges 411
www.uc411.com

This Web site offers students a wealth of information. It has a complete listing of all the colleges and universities in Canada, and provides listings of career colleges and distance education courses, as well as information on internships, scholarships, financial aid and career planning.

CIP: This site features a different chat room for each of the 400-plus schools across Canada. You could be communicating with hundreds of students in just seconds! No password or registration is necessary. Visit www.uc411.com/chat.asp.

7- Association of Canadian Community Colleges — Programs Database
www.accc.ca/english/colleges
/programs_database.htm

Use this search engine to find any program offered by Canada's community colleges. Enter a keyword that describes your field of interest, choose a province, and the site will display a list of all matching programs, along with links to the Web sites of community colleges where those programs are offered.

CIP: Find the Web site address of any community college in Canada at: www.accc.ca/english/
Colleges/membership_list.cfm.

8- Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) — Programs Search Engine
oraweb.aucc.ca

This page features a simple and efficient search engine. It allows you to search for any Canadian university program in just about any field. You may want to limit your search to one province or expand it to all the universities in Canada. This Web site is particularly useful if you are looking for graduate programs or if you are searching for a co-op program at the undergraduate level.

Advice: The "Database Search" option is much more efficient than the "Text Search" (keyword) option. Once you have identified which school offers the program that interests you, go to: www.aucc.ca/can_uni/our_universities/index_e.html to quickly access its Web site.

CIP: The AUCC site also lists more than 150 scholarships, fellowships and internship programs on behalf of governments, foundations and private sector companies. Check them out at: www.aucc.ca/programs/index_e.html.

9- Campus Program.com — Canada Edition
campusprogram.com/canada

Do you want to know where the program that interests you is offered in Canada? Would you like a quick reference? This is a Web directory of university programs across Canada. Programs are grouped into categories such as arts, business and health. Simply click on the category and subcategory of your choice to find links to all relevant Canadian programs located on the Web site of each school. Other interesting links may be included, such as student association Web sites. There are also alphabetical indexes of programs for each province.

Advice: Links sometimes get broken. When that happens, you may have to go to the school's Web site to look for the program.

CIP: The "Academic Life" section, available from the home page, is full of articles and guides to help you make the most of your college or university experience. Topics include general study skills, note taking, preparing for exams and more.

10- Canadian Virtual University (CVU)
www.cvu-uvc.ca

The Canadian Virtual University is a partnership of Canadian schools that have experience in offering distance education courses and programs. The universities involved are Athabasca University, British Columbia Open University, Brandon University, Laurentian University, Royal Roads University, University of Victoria, Télé-Université, Université de Moncton, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Mount Saint-Vincent University, University College of Cape Breton, University of New Brunswick and University of Manitoba. The site offers a great variety of graduate and undergraduate programs listed by school, subject or level. The partnership is planning to include other distance education institutions and to offer more programs. CVU is a great place to continue your training.

11- Career Education Sourcebook
www.careereducationsource.ca

This is Canada's guide to Career Training Centres, which include vocational schools, career colleges, union training programs, association training programs, professional designation programs, and international study programs. You will find a wide range of training options in areas such as business and computer, hospitality and tourism, hairdressing and aesthetics, and many others.

Advice: You can use the "Advanced Search Form" to find a Career Training Centre or browse the listings by category, province, city, and the training centre's name.

12- Career Possibilities for University Graduates
http://www.ucalgary.ca/counselling
/careerdevelopment/careerpossibilities/

Students are often confused about which employment opportunities correspond to a given university major or degree. What can you do with a degree in anthropology, economics, or mathematics? This site will provide the answers. It contains information sheets on the skills and career possibilities for more than 40 university disciplines. Just click on the link for your major or area of specialization.

13- DistanceStudies.com
www.distancestudies.com

Discover the distance education programs offered across Canada and the United States! This site's search engine allows you to explore programs given from any state or province in North America. You can, of course, limit your search to your preferred field of study or include other search criteria such as program type, means of correspondence and program duration. More than 200 schools are listed.

14- Red Seal Program — Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
www.red-seal.ca

The Red Seal program provides workers in the skilled trades with greater mobility across Canada by encouraging standardization of provincial and territorial apprenticeship training and certification programs. At present, Red Seal endorsement allows graduated apprentices and certified journeypersons in 45 trades to work in any province or territory where their trade is designated, without having to write further examinations.

The Red Seal Web site provides Canadians with information about the Red Seal program, apprenticeship, trades, and certification. Finally, it features a list of Red Seal trades and a comparative chart of apprenticeship training programs across Canada (the Ellis Chart).

15- The Internet Public Library — Education Resources
www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse/edu00.00.00

The Internet Public Library (IPL) Education Centre features an extensive, comprehensive directory of institutions' Web sites in the areas of adult education, alternative education (including distance education), primary and secondary education, higher education, special education, and vocational education. Whether you are looking for training in a particular area or for a particular purpose, you will find it here.

16- WorkinfoNET (WIN)
www.workinfonet.ca

WorkinfoNET is a Canadian virtual library of careers, training and employment. Come and explore hundreds of training programs and courses offered by the government, universities and colleges, community organizations, private training institutions and other organizations across Canada. If you are looking for a correspondence or e-learning course, be sure to check out the distance-learning link. You can browse the entire Canadian database or visit only the links relevant to your province. An excellent site for your education search.

Advice: You can also find links to job sites and information on occupations, the labour market, self-employment and workplace issues on this Web site.

17- Scholarships Canada
scholarshipscanada.com

Just like Student Awards (see next listing), Scholarships Canada allows you to search hundreds of grants, bursaries and scholarships. The easy-to-use advanced search feature helps you look for scholarships, categorized by school, that will fit your needs. This site also provides advice on applying for scholarships and the effective use of government loans. Another great site for students.

18- Studentawards.com
studentawards.com

Studentawards.com allows you to evaluate your eligibility for bursaries, grants and scholarships. Use the questionnaire to create your profile and the search engine will then identify the bursaries that fit your requirements. You can create an account and save your profile. As new and suitable bursaries become available, they will be added to the database.