LEWISTON – Lewiston Adult Education is encouraging residents to increase business and employment marketability by enhancing technology skills.

Numerous courses will be offered, some beginning as early as Feb. 4, covering a variety of topics from basic computer applications, to photo enhancing techniques, to sophisticated design software.

Residents seeking experience with commercial CAD software will benefit from “Intro to Computer Aided Drafting” The instructor will consider his students’ respective trades and emphasize the features of the software most relevant to the members of the class. The course is designed to assist students in becoming familiar with drafting standards and architectural drafting.

“Search Engine for the Busy Entrepreneur,” Lewiston Adult Education’s latest online course, will help local businesses increase their Web site’s visibility by making it easily accessible through search engines such as Google and Yahoo.

Two components of Adobe Creative Suite will be featured in their own courses this semester. For the first half of the semester, an introductory level “Adobe Photoshop” will be taught, and students may opt to continue with the intermediate level course in the second half of the semester.

Adobe InDesign, a desktop publishing program, allows users to create polished print materials such as business cards, letterhead, brochures, posters. Lewiston Adult Education’s “Using Adobe InDesign to Create Professional Print Materials” will help residents channel the tool to best benefit their business.

“Enhance Your Digital Photos,” taught by professional photographer and graphic designer May Cote, will teach aspiring photographers how to improve composition and use MS Photo Editor to crop, sharpen and enhance digital images.

A variety of Microsoft Office skills will also be taught. “MS Excel I” will develop the knowledge base for creating, managing, saving and retrieving spreadsheets easily and accurately, and “MS Excel II” will continue with an emphasis on inputting and manipulating formulas, creating charts and diagrams, and using data filters, sorts and V look-ups.

For those working in small businesses with some QuickBooks experience looking to expand their skills, “QuickBooks II” will be available. The course will cover budgeting, payroll, time tracking, inventory and exporting to Excel using QuickBooks.

“Basic MS Office Applications” will also be available for anyone new to MS Office software. The hands-on class will teach the basics about the operating system, word processing and database programs using MS Office software programs.

Lewiston Adult Education will also host a series on introductory computer skills. For those new to computers, “Absolute Beginner Computers” will be offered, and for those ready to learn about the equipment, terminology and word processing, database and spreadsheet programs on a PC, “Computer Literacy” will be available.

“Internet Basics” will teach those already familiar with computer use to best take advantage of the resources offered by the Internet. Topics will include comparing service providers, navigating the Internet with search tools, using e-mail, accessing user and news groups and joining electronic “conversations.”

“Keyboarding” will be available for residents looking to learn correct key stroking techniques, develop typing speed and accuracy, and learn the proper formatting of business and personal correspondence, reports and other documents.

One-day computer seminars covering specific topics will be offered during Lewiston Adult Education’s annual “Super Saturday!” The March 22 computer courses will include “Basics of Developing a Web Site,” on how to create an effective and aesthetically pleasing Web site; “PC Repairs and Upgrades,” in which students will develop the skills to upgrade, maintain and repair computers themselves; “MS PowerPoint Seminar,” which will cover the basics of creating an electronic slide show, graphic slides, handouts and presenter materials; and “MS Word in a Day!” in which students will review word processing and move on to learn all the tips and tricks necessary to create effective reports, newsletters and business letters.

For more information on any of the courses or to register, visit www.lewistonadulted.org or call 795-4141.