Certificate in Personal Support Worker

at Algonquin College - Ottawa Campus Canada

This four-year degree program is designed for students seeking careers in the hospitality, culinary, food services and food science sectors through a unique combination of food science and culinary skills. Well suited for those with a passion for food and a love of science, this program produces skilled graduates with culinary and food science backgrounds equipped with the abilities to create innovative, high quality food products for existing and emerging markets.

Through combining the disciplines of food science and culinary arts, students develop the necessary skills and knowledge to become professionals within this innovative and emerging field. Students examine a broad range of topics including food chemistry, food microbiology, sensory evaluation, food processing, as well as culinary science and food service management, with a focus on food product development and enhancing the nutritional value of food products. These core science skills are complemented by advanced skills in food preparation, cooking, baking, safety and sanitation, management and leadership. Through applied research in product development, students have the opportunity to research, create and market their own products. In addition, students participate in two practical cooperative education learning opportunities gaining valuable applied industry experience.

Major food companies and producers seek individuals who have the ability to design, develop and process quality food choices that are healthy, affordable, desirable and safe for consumers. Graduates are well positioned to find employment opportunities with major food manufacturers or small, private label companies, in the areas of food production management, food technology, product development, quality assurance management, food services and food research and development as well as in health-related industries or entrepreneurial endeavours. Algonquin College is working closely with the Research Chefs Association (RCA) in seeking RCA`s accreditation as a Culinology(R)program. Graduates of this program are well positioned to write RCAs Certified Research Chef examination.

The Business - Accounting Ontario College Diploma program balances accounting theory with tools used in the industry. This two-year program equips you with the essential skills for various entry-level accounting positions.

Learn how to complete accounting tasks, from conducting bookkeeping responsibilities to preparing financial statements and personal income tax returns. Expand your knowledge of various business concepts including economics and finance.

Explore accounting concepts while sharpening your communication, math and technological skills. Courses incorporate accounting software to strengthen your computer literacy and provide you with up-to-date technical skills, which are essential in this field.

In the program`s final semester, you have the opportunity to apply for a work placement to practise your skills in a real work setting. See Additional Information for eligibility requirements.

Students considering a professional accounting designation or an accounting credential are advised to make inquiries with the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario (CPA Ontario) before deciding to complete this program. See Additional Information for further details.

This program prepares you for entry-level positions in:

• Financial accounting
• Managerial accounting
• Payables and receivables
• Taxation

Graduates typically find employment in roles such as:

• Accounts payable clerk
• Accounts receivable clerk
• Bookkeeper
• Payroll clerk
• Junior staff accountant

Pursue a career in the evolving world of web software application creation.

The two-year Internet Applications and Web Development Ontario College Diploma program prepares you to pursue a variety of different careers in the internet applications and web development industry.

This program is designed to teach you:

• Internet technologies
• Full stack Web development
• The analysis, design and implementation of internet applications

Use modern computing facilities with a variety of software offered to help you during the program. The department is sponsored by Microsoft Developer`s Network Academic Alliance and through other vendor agreements, which gives you access to the most up-to-date technology.

During the program, you study a number of topics relevant to the field. You learn full stack web development, database programming and internetworking in a TCP/IP environment.

Additional topics include:

• Client-side and server-side scripting
• Programming languages
• Systems and network security

In your last semester, you apply what you have learned throughout the program as a member of a team working on a multi-tiered internet application.

Students also have the option to gain real-world experience through a paid co-operative education (co-op) work term (see Additional Information for more details). Please note that places in the co-op version of the program are subject to availability. Students who elect to apply to the non co-op version of the program may not have the opportunity to transfer to the co-op version at a later date.

This program is designed to help you begin your career as:

• A full stack web developer
• A web administrator
• An internet application developer
• A web application architect
• A web programmer
   

The language skills you need for the life you want

The General Arts and Science - English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Ontario College Certificate program is an academically-oriented English as a Second Language (ESL) Program designed for International and Domestic students whose first language is not English.

Improve your academic English language skills for college and job success in a dynamic multicultural setting. Upon successful completion of the program, you obtain an Ontario College Certificate, which provides a pathway into post-secondary studies by satisfying the language requirements for entry into most programs offered at Algonquin College.

The EAP Placement Test determines your starting point in the program, ranging from low-intermediate to low-advanced language skills. As you move through the program, you actively participate in a variety of large and small group activities that provide engaging opportunities to practice the four language skills of:

• Reading
• Writing
• Listening
• Speaking

The one-year Teachers of English as a Second/Foreign Language Ontario College Graduate Certificate program is designed to give you a theoretical and hands-on foundation to help you develop proficiency in English as a Second/Foreign Language teaching methodology.

This program is officially recognized by TESL Ontario and TESL Canada and is available on campus or through synchronous online delivery.

Learn effective approaches to teaching, lesson planning, curriculum design and evaluation. Take courses such as:

• Pedagogical Grammar
• Educational Technology in Second Language Teaching
• Language Learning and Culture

Apply your theoretical knowledge to real-life teaching. Begin the program by completing an Independent Learning Project that requires you to work one-on-one with an assigned English as a Second Language (ESL) student and complete a learner profile for them. Then, gain further practical experience by taking part in two practicum placements. You even have the option to pursue an overseas teaching internship.

Upon completion of this program, you receive an official TESL certification that enables you to pursue ESL teaching opportunities in Canada and abroad.

Graduates may find employment in:

• Continuing education
• Government-funded community-based programs
• Colleges
• Universities
• Private language schools

Develop your awareness of sustainable building operation expertise for a career in the rapidly advancing field.

The Building Automation System Operations Ontario College Graduate Certificate program builds on your industry and educational experience and deepens your understanding of technologies that support the sustainable operation of buildings and ongoing building optimization.

By working with data analysis, you gain the ability to monitor and adjust energy usage and gauge system parameters, alarms and activities within a building. The program is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to advance in the building technology field.

With increased awareness of sustainable measures and growing energy costs, professionals in this field are moving towards high-performance automated buildings. These Smart buildings are reducing consumption and ensuring comfort, health and safety.

In this program, you use case studies, hands-on learning, and field work to give you the knowledge to understand and apply skills in relation to building automation systems.

Graduates who are looking to work in the building technology field may find employment in many different positions, including:

• Building automation system operator
• Building automation technician
• HVAC automation and controls technician
• Building automation process leader

Bring your drawing skills to life through acting and storytelling

The three-year Animation Ontario College Advanced Diploma program provides you with the skills needed to meet the standards of the demanding international animation industry. As a student attending one of the best animation programs in Canada (as ranked by Animation Career Review, 2019), you learn industry-standard technologies, drawing and animation skills.

This program focuses on acting and body mechanics and where you learn traditional, 3D, tradigital (using Toon Boom`s Harmony) and video game animation techniques. Our faculty members are industry professionals who have worked for studios such as:

• Disney
• Sony Image Works
• Mercury Filmworks
• Jam Filled Entertainment
• Warner Bros. Animation
• Corus (Nelvana)
• Pip
• Kratts
• Ubisoft

Gain the ability to communicate your ideas through drawing, and to present them visually. Learn to see images in motion - a skill necessary for an animator, and ensure your animated creations are realistic and meet industry standards.

Focus is on layout, location and character design, gesture drawing and anatomy studies of the NUDE model, all culminating in performance-based character animation.

By the end of the program, you have a portfolio and demo reel that showcases your work. This highlights your creativity, skills and proficiency with relevant animation software and technologies, demonstrating that you are ready to enter the field.

There are many job opportunities for graduates of this program. You may find work as a(n):

• Animator at a professional animation or game studio
• Layout artist
• Location or character designer
• 3D animator, rigger or modeller
• Background artist
• Tradigital rigger or modeller

Other employment opportunities might include working on feature films, animated TV series or commercials.

The Retirement Communities Management Ontario College Graduate Certificate program provides the specialized skills and knowledge to help you meet the demand for skilled managers in the retirement communities field.

Learn from seasoned industry professionals. The program aligns curriculum with Ontario`s Retirement Homes Act, 2010 and prepares you for entry into this expanding field, or advancement within retirement communities.

Discover the organizational structures and day-to-day operations within the industry, including:

• Human resources
• Recruitment
• Fiscal management
• Resident care
• Food service operations
• Marketing
• Recreation activities
• Legislation and regulatory bodies

Apply management skills related to all of these areas through activities, case studies and industry work. Plan, implement and execute fiscal and operational strategies to optimize organizational efficiency. Focus also includes knowledge of resident care best practices.

A three-week field placement in the industry expands your real-world experience. During this time, you make valuable industry contacts.

The one-year Scriptwriting Ontario College Graduate Certificate program provides you with the knowledge, writing experience and hands-on skills necessary to become a writer in the ever-expanding fields of film, television, theatre, video and digital media content.

Discover your style and voice, as well as how to develop characters and write stories for any audience. By the end of the program, you possess an extensive professional-quality portfolio of work.

By analyzing issues and trends in film and media, you learn how to market your skills effectively and work professionally in our industries . Faculty are up-to-date, experienced professionals who help guide your projects. Guest speakers are regular visitors to your class and provide tips and advice on your potential career path.

At the end of the program, you have the opportunity to travel to Toronto and pitch your film or TV series ideas at major broadcasting and production companies. You also meet agents, distributors and accomplished screenwriters, and attend industry events during your three-day stay. It is a great opportunity to connect with important players in the industry and get their feedback on your projects.

You also expand your real-world experience with a 40-hour work placement. These placements are generally non-writing positions that allow you to learn more about how the production process works, make industry contacts and broaden your skill set.

Another opportunity that you may choose to participate in is the Hothouse Reading Series, which showcases short excerpts from students` plays read by professional actors. You receive feedback from the audience that provides you with invaluable insight to strengthen your writing.

Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Conceive, write, edit, revise and rewrite scripts using industry standard formats and technology.
• Function effectively as part of a writing and/or production team in the delivery of scripts.
• Apply production and business management skills to complete tasks efficiently and meet deadlines in the workplace.
• Critically evaluate the quality of product being presented for production.
• Develop strategies for personal and professional development by analyzing issues and trends in target industries.
• Ensure that all work is completed in compliance with applicable laws, statutory obligations, regulations, and industry principles and practices.
• Apply creative techniques for writing for a variety of media and styles.
• Work in a professional and ethical manner, maintain professional relationships, and communicate effectively with clients, co-workers, supervisors and others.
• Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.

The two-year Business - Marketing Ontario College Diploma program provides learners with a strong theoretical marketing foundation and the opportunity to apply it through hands-on industry projects, assignments and simulation tools. You develop the knowledge and applied skills to succeed in a wide range of marketing and business roles. Additionally, you use computing technology in a collaborative learning environment to learn, develop and apply the technical skills that employers desire.

Learn about how marketing affects the operations of a business - from product conception to launch and delivery.

Explore concepts such as:

• Marketing to the consumer and business marketplace
• Product and pricing strategies
• Marketing planning and decision-making
• Global marketing
• Marketing communications and promotions
• Marketing research
• Professional selling
• Sales management
• Digital marketing and distribution

Complete hands-on assignments that involve case studies, simulation platforms, research assessments and role-playing. You also have the opportunity to work with industry clients in the program, including developing a full marketing plan for a local client.

Cooperative education (Co-op)
Cooperative education (Co-op) allows students to integrate their classroom learning with a real-world experience through paid work terms. Two academic terms prior to the cooperative education work term, students are required to actively participate in and successfully complete the self-directed co-op online readiness activities and in-person workshops.

Students must actively conduct a guided, self-directed job search and are responsible for securing approved program-related paid co-op employment. Students compete for co-op positions alongside students from Algonquin and other Canadian and international colleges and universities. Algonquin College`s Co-op Department provides assistance in developing co-op job opportunities and facilitates the overall process, but does not guarantee that a student will obtain employment in a co-op work term. Co-op students may be required to re-locate to take part in the co-op employment opportunities available in their industry and must cover all associated expenses; e.g., travel, work permits, visa applications, accommodation and all other incurred expenses.

Co-op work terms are typically 14 weeks in duration and are completed during a term when students are not taking courses.