Registration opened this week for more than 170 courses in Flathead Valley Community College’s continuing education program.

As of Aug. 7, prospective students could sign up for fall semester classes and workshops in subjects ranging from wine tasting and senior wellness to social media and outdoor recreation. Classes are taught by local and regional experts and range in length from a single session to multiple meetings.

A number of courses are new this year, including Let’s Go Hunting, Dementia Care in the Home, Adult Art Sampler and Boardsmanship Leadership Academy. The latter offering is designed to teach new and prospective board members about the rules and responsibilities of the board members, school budgets and more. Another unique opportunity is the hunting course, which caters to adults who may have never taken hunter education, but want to become more comfortable in the wilderness and familiarize themselves with basic hunting practices.

Director of Continuing Education Chris Parson said courses are selected based on community interest and a little bit of trial and error. The population of continuing education students has been consistent over the years, he said, noting a slightly upward trend with 3,983 enrollments in 2018.

“It’s just a time for people to gain and learn new skills or learn a little more about history or language … and take advantage of learning from professionals in the community,” Parson said. “Now, maybe you can do one of these courses and do something you wish you could have done earlier.”

He also emphasized that the classes are flexible and affordable — and best of all, no homework or grades are involved.

For the first time, FVCC will also be offering a Kids College program in the fall, which has previously been limited to the summer months. Those courses include topics such as robotics, drones, science and art.

To view the complete schedule, register for classes or obtain more information, visit www.fvcc.edu/continuing-education or contact the center at 756-3832 or ceinfo@fvcc.edu.