Diploma in Public Relations

at Algonquin College - Ottawa Campus Canada

The two-year Financial Services-Canadian Context Ontario College Graduate Certificate program is specifically designed to support students transitioning into the Canadian work environment in the customer sales and service areas of:

• Banking
• Insurance
• Financial planning
• Wealth management

In this program, you build knowledge and skills to evaluate and recommend financial products and services based on clients` individual needs. You develop techniques to collect and analyze client information to create and present customized financial plans. Sales strategies and relationship building techniques are applied while adhering to legal and ethical practices and industry standards. Throughout the program, you develop a professional competencies portfolio to document marketable skills. The fourth semester of the program focuses on experiential learning within a variety of real-world scenarios.

Through experiential and simulated workplace learning, you develop financial advising strategies to facilitate clients` short- and long-term financial goals. Topics include:

• Saving and borrowing for major purchases
• Postsecondary education and retirement planning
• Insurance for wealth protection
• Investing for diversification, growth and tax efficiency
• Estate planning for succession and wealth transfer

Graduates are eligible to write the Canadian Securities Course designation exams. Algonquin College collaborates with the Canadian Securities Institute (CSI) and the Canadian Institute of Financial Planning (CIFP) to offer the Financial Services Graduate Certificate Program, which meets FP Canada`s Core and Advanced Curriculum educational requirements. The program provides a pathway to the following designations upon completion of their additional requirements and exams:

• Canadian Securities Course (CSC designation)
• Qualified Associate Financial Planner (QAFP) designation (see FP Canada website for additional requirements)
• Certified Financial Planner(CFP) designation. (See FP Canada website for university degree and additional requirements)

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.

Launch your legal career

In the two-year Law Clerk Ontario College Diploma program, you study a broad range of legal topics and processes to prepare you for a career as a legal assistant or law clerk.

This program prepares you for administrative work in an office environment where you work independently under the general direction of a lawyer, or as part of a legal services team. Learn from dedicated faculty who ensure that your skills surpass industry standards.

As a student, you develop and practise the skills that are essential for a successful career, including:

• paying attention to details and independently following instructions
• organizing client files and managing deadlines
• interviewing clients
• performing general office procedures
• working with legal software to compile information and prepare documents
• compiling evidence and documentation
• maintaining corporate documents and filings
• entering data in legal forms and drafting routine correspondence
• preparing briefs
• learning about family, estates, civil litigation, corporate, administrative and real estate law practices
• engaging in civil litigation and research

Benefit from the ability to participate in an off-site field placement or in an in-class workplace simulation. These experiences give you real-world experience and an opportunity to practise your skills.

Get the technical skills required to repair and modify automated equipment

The two-year Electromechanical Engineering Technician Ontario College Diploma program prepares you for many different career pathways. Industry professionals teach you the skills to repair and modify automated equipment in many different sectors.

In this program, you experience both classroom and lab-based hands-on learning. You develop team building skills and collaborate on class projects.

As a student in this program, you learn about:

• Electronic circuits
• Industrial pneumatics
• Computer-aided design
• Microcontrollers
• Digital logic
• Programmable logic controllers (PLCs)
• Motor controls and machine tool operations
• Industrial robots
• Mechatronics  

The one-year Human Services Foundations Ontario College Certificate allows you to explore career opportunities within human services and prepare for the most appropriate academic and professional pathway for you. Human services supports individuals, families and communities to attain a higher quality of life. As a student, you examine how different human services professionals collaborate to contribute to a better society.

In this program, you develop core skills that are common to all areas of human services, such as relationship building, team work and stress management. You increase your own awareness of issues of diversity and inclusion in Canada and how social issues influence human and community development. You develop a strong understanding of client and community needs, and the impact that systemic barriers have on marginalizing specific populations. This exploration empowers you to select a population group and industry that you would like to focus on. You develop academic skills and career planning skills to support you through the next stages of your academic study.

This foundational training provides students with an introduction to more advanced human services programs including, but not limited to:

• Child and Youth Care
• Social Services Worker
• Community and Justice Services
• Early Childhood Education
• Developmental Services Worker

Specialize with a challenging and inspiring career in human resources

Human Resources is one of seven majors that Business Administration students can select. In the second half of the three-year Business Administration Ontario College Advanced Diploma program, you select a major to specialize in. Prior to selecting a major, you develop a strong foundation various business skills.

The Business Administration - Human Resources program prepares you for a rewarding career in the field of human resources management.

Learn about various specializations of human resources management, including:

• Human resources planning
• Recruitment and selection
• Compensation and benefits design and administration
• Training and development
• Labour relations
• Occupational health and safety
• Employee and organizational research
• Employee relations
• The procurement, implementation, and maintenance of information systems
• Relevant human resources and organizational management legislation

Benefit from completing an optional 30-hour field placement in your final semester and apply your knowledge and skills in a real work environment.

The two-year Journalism Ontario College Diploma program prepares you to report on all news delivery platforms, and helps you develop the online skills that have become vital in the industry.
Acquire leading-edge, relevant knowledge and skills in multi-platform and traditional journalism. Gain hands-on experience and expand your portfolio almost immediately upon starting the program, working for the award-winning Algonquin Times - named Canada`s top campus newspaper in 2015 and 2017 - as well as Glue, Ottawa`s student magazine.

Learn the core journalism skills to succeed in the industry. Study how to write factually, conduct interviews and filter information. Examine aspects of photo journalism, page layout, web and e-publishing, and online reporting/editing.
Your learning is expanded with workshops, guest speakers and field trips, offering exposure to a diversity of information and skills necessary for the modern journalist. To ensure you are comfortable with all journalistic platforms, you create photo and video journalism and produce newscasts for CKDJ 107.9 FM, Algonquin College`s radio station.

Expand your real-world experience with a six-week internship at a media outlet and learn to operate as a freelance journalist. You have the choice to work at a local company or agency, or complete the placement out of the region or country.

After you graduate, if you wish to further your education, you can apply to the University of Ottawa`s Honours Bachelor Degree in Digital Journalism program, in which you may be eligible for advanced standing.

Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Report on stories in an accurate, detailed, balanced, professional and timely manner.
• Apply computer and technical skills to designated production and research functions in journalism.
• Function both independently and as a member of editorial and/or production teams.
• Analyze knowledge from communities, current events and public affairs, and history to interpret and express the context for designated journalism publications and/or productions.
• Develop strategies for personal and professional development.
• Comply with relevant Canadian legislation, standards and the principles and practices of journalism.
• Write and edit content for the designated media platforms.
• Publish and/or broadcast content for the designated media platforms.
• Apply production skills and use production equipment in the preparation and distribution of content for the designated media platforms.
• Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.

The Water and Wastewater Technician Ontario College Diploma program equips you with the knowledge and skills to effectively manage water and wastewater infrastructure. The water and wastewater management field has been subjected to increasingly rigid legislation, due to ongoing public health concerns. This program teaches you how to deal with the demands on water quality professionals. This condensed 42-week program allows you to complete a two-year diploma program in only three terms, making it an intensive, but rewarding experience.

Through a series of courses in advanced chemistry, biology and mechanical systems, you are able to make informed decisions in your day-to-day career. Learn how to:

• Prevent waterborne illnesses
• Manage industrial waste
• Operate off-site wastewater treatment units

Learn using theoretical and applied approaches, in labs and in the field. Using industry-standard equipment, you acquire the most up-to-date skills and knowledge possible.

Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Work independently and with others to conduct tests related to water and wastewater in the lab and field.
• Analyze and interpret test results for clients or supervisors.
• Provide mechanical and electrical maintenance management at various water and waste water facilities.
• Collaborate with individuals in testing and troubleshooting equipment at water and wastewater plant facilities.
• Make decisions based on an understanding of Ontario environmental legislation affecting wastewater treatment plants, scope and authority of certificates of approval, and owner/operator responsibilities.
• Collaborate on basic design concepts and operational techniques of industrial and municipal water treatment systems.
• Collaborate with others in providing emergency responses to plant issues.
• Contribute to the design of water supply pumping systems, pipe networks and distributed storage reservoirs.
• Develop and implement risk management strategies for hazardous and non-hazardous industrial waste.
• Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.

Explore a challenging and rewarding career in business.

• Earn a flexible diploma that shows you are skilled in all of the key business disciplines. The Business Administration - General Business Ontario College Advanced Diploma program gives you the opportunity to customize your education in business. General Business is one of the seven majors that Business Administration students can select in the second half of the three-year program. Develop a skillset with learning from areas of business that include accounting, finance, human resources, international business, marketing and supply chain and operations management.
• By selecting the General Business major going into the fourth semester, you choose courses from at least two majors, and no more than four courses from any one major. Your coursework is based on which courses you select (not all courses are available).
• 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.
• Upon graduation, you earn a comprehensive diploma that shows employers you are skilled in all key areas of business. Based on the course selections you made, pursue a variety of careers in diverse fields and industries.
• Upon completion of six semesters and with a minimum GPA of 2.9, you can apply to Nipissing University and with as little as 12 months of additional study at the Woodroffe campus, complete a Bachelor of Commerce degree.

The one-year Human Resources Management Ontario College Graduate Certificate program prepares you to be a human resources practitioner. This program offers you applied and theoretical lessons focusing on building human resources management graduate-level knowledge and skills needed to attract, select and retain the best organizational talent.

In addition, you learn the foundational knowledge required to act as a strategic partner in an organization. Faculty includes credentialed academics and practitioners from across the spectrum of human resources practice who are dedicated to preparing you for career success.

Acquire essential knowledge and skills related to finance and accounting, organizational behaviour, project management and employment law. Explore the psychology of the workplace, the legal environment, accounting, and economics.

Adopt an applied approach, exploring:

• Recruitment and selection
• Compensation
• Employee and labour
• Industry relations

In your second semester, you may qualify to complete an unpaid work placement. This gives you the opportunity to practice your skills and integrate your knowledge in a real-world organization.

Work toward your Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) accreditation from the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA). The nine certified human resources professional coursework requirements from the HRPA are within this certificate and approved by HRPA.

Upon graduation, you are ready for a rewarding career in human resources management. You could find employment in many for-profit and non-profit organizations, such as hi-tech, manufacturing or retail. You could assume the role of:

• Human resources generalist
• Human resources coordinator
• Human resources business partner
• Occupational health and safety specialist
• Recruiter
• Training and development specialist
• Labour relations specialist
• Compensation analyst