Diploma in Social Service Worker (Accelerated)

at George Brown College - St. James Campus Canada

Our Hospitality – Hotel Operations Management program exposes you to current and best practices in:

• Front office
• Food and beverage
• Marketing and sales
• Conferences and catering

You will receive industry certification in food safety, responsible alcohol beverage service and first aid (CPR).
As part of your fourth semester, you will complete a 14-week industry externship. George Brown College works with employers and industry partners to identify potential work experience opportunities. Students are also strongly encouraged to pursue self-directed industry work experience opportunities that they believe would provide the learning experiences they value, and that meet the learning outcomes of the program. This opportunity will enhance your knowledge with real-world experience and help you start building your network of industry contacts. In addition, you will participate in a hotel operations management simulation as part of your final capstone project, which will allow you to apply your newly acquired skills and learning.

To better hone your international hotel management skills you have the option of participating in an exclusive European Study Tour visiting some of the top hotels in Europe.

Program Learning Outcomes
The graduate demonstrates the ability to:

• Support an industry and workplace service culture by adopting a positive attitude and professional decorum, accommodating diverse and special needs and contributing as a team member.
• Deliver customer service and solutions that anticipate, meet and/or exceed individual expectations, as well as organizational expectations, standards and objectives.
• Use marketing concepts, market research, social networks, sales and revenue management strategies, relationship management skills and product knowledge to promote and sell hospitality services, products and guest experiences.
• Apply business and revenue models as well as basic accounting, budgeting, financial and administration skills to support the effective management and operation of a variety of organizations delivering hospitality services and products.
• Comply with relevant organization and workplace systems, processes, policies, standards, legal obligations and regulations, and apply risk management principles, to support and maintain efficient, safe, secure, accessible and healthy hospitality operations.
• Use appropriate technologies to enhance the quality and delivery of hospitality services, products and guest experiences and to measure the effectiveness of hospitality operations.
• Keep current with hospitality trends and issues, and interdependent relationships in the broader tourism industry sectors to improve work performance and guide career development.
• Use leadership, teamwork, conflict and relationship management skills and tools, as well as knowledge of organizational behaviour, labour relations, employment standards and human rights to contribute to a positive work environment.
• Respond to issues and dilemmas arising in the delivery of hospitality services, products and guest experiences by using and promoting ethical behaviour and best practices of corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability.

The Deafblind & Intervenor Studies program is a one-year certificate that will prepare you to work with individuals who have a combined vision and hearing loss. Significant components of this program are delivered online. This program is open to both Deaf and non-Deaf students.

Preparing students to be the eyes and ears for people who are Deafblind
Do you have a passion for helping others? Want to work in a dynamic and evolving sector? Are you creative and a good communicator? If you want to make a difference, consider becoming an intervenor and work with people who are Deafblind.

This one-year Ontario college certificate will prepare you to work with individuals who have a combined vision and hearing loss. You will learn various communication methods to support individuals with deafblindness in accessing information and interacting more fully with their environment.

Most courses are delivered online with some in-person content (semester 1 is delivered fully online; the first seven week of semester 2 are taught in-person and the second seven weeks are taught online).

What you will learn

• How to work with Deafblind children and adults – many of whom are often medically fragile.
• American Sign Language (ASL) – a visual language that is adapted to accommodate for the vision loss of those with this dual sensory loss.
• Professionalism, values and ethics, health and aging.
• How to interact with members of the Deafblind community both virtually and in-person. For those attending from outside of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), interactive sessions will be arranged in your community.
• You will get hands-on experience through field practice. This may be completed across Canada in your community through George Brown College partnerships.

As a student in the Human Services Foundations program (formerly Pre-Community Services A103), you will gain an overview of the helping field, including roles and systemic issues and a theoretical basis through courses in sociology and psychology. You will develop skills necessary for admission to programs in the School of Social and Community Services* at George Brown College and other post-secondary institutions.

You will improve your skills and confidence in a supportive learning environment. A strong emphasis on group learning encourages co-operation, teamwork, and mutual support that will be beneficial in the helping professions.

Program Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Discuss the roles, responsibilities, career opportunities, academic and personal requirements for success in the Community Services and Child Studies field.
• Apply culturally sensitive communication and interpersonal skills to support team functioning in academic and professional settings with the ability to engage in self-reflection.
• Explain major theoretical models of behaviour associated with the study of psychology.
• Apply the appropriate client service strategies according to client behaviour/preference.
• Select the Community Services and Child Studies field best suited to personal and career interest.
• Explain how academic strengths, needs and personal health factors affect success and wellness in a college environment.
• Utilize written and verbal communication skills specific to the Community Services and Child Studies field.

The Pre-Health Sciences Pathway to Certificates and Diplomas program prepares students to perform at a level that will assist them in gaining entry to a Health Sciences program at George Brown College, including Practical Nursing. It also gives students a basic understanding of social sciences and human relations. This helps them relate to people at college in further studies and at work in health care institutions or with health care providers. Throughout the program, students study biology and chemistry. Other courses include applied math, communications and general education electives.

George Brown College's Child and Youth Care program combines best practice principles and a relational approach that is anchored in the values of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care Code of Ethics.

Students learn to engage purposefully and effectively with children, adolescents and families who struggle with emotional, behavioural and developmental challenges that impair their abilities to relate to others.

Specific focus is on recognizing the impact of mental health challenges on children and youth.

Students learn to translate theory into practice to move youth from potential risk to resilience.

Your Field Education Options
Field placement plays an important role in the Child and Youth Care program.

The first year provides students with an opportunity to develop a solid foundation of skills to build upon. The subsequent academic courses come to life in a wide range of supervised field placements in the second and third years of the program.

Second-year students can expect to be in placement two days a week and third-year students can expect to be in placement three days a week over 28 weeks (includes both the Fall and Winter Semester).

These placements may take place in professional settings such as:

• residential care
• hospitals
• shelters
• schools
• community outreach programs
• day treatment

Program Learning Outcomes

• The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:
  • Develop and maintain relationships with children, youth and their families applying principles of relational practice and respecting their unique life space, cultural and human diversity.
  • Assess and respond to the strengths and needs of children and youth, including complex responses impacted by developmental, environmental, physical, emotional, social and mental health challenges in order to promote positive change.
  • Analyze and evaluate the impact of the inter-relationship among family, social service, justice and community systems on children, youth and their families and use this information in the planning of holistic care and in the reduction of systemic barriers.
  • Plan, implement and evaluate interventions using evidence?informed practices in the areas of therapeutic milieu and programming, and group work to promote resiliency and to enhance development in children, youth and their families.
  • Advocate for the rights of children, youth and their families and maintain an anti-oppression perspective and cultural competence in diverse cultural contexts.
  • Apply communication, teamwork and organizational skills within the interprofessional team and with community partners to enhance the quality of service in child and youth care practice.
  • Develop and implement self-care strategies using self-inquiry and reflection processes to promote self-awareness and to enhance practice as a child and youth care practitioner.
  • Use evidence-based research, professional development resources and supervision models to support professional growth and lifelong learning.

The Honours Bachelor of Commerce (Culinary Management) meets industry demand by preparing students with the depth and breadth of knowledge commensurate with an honours level, undergraduate commerce degree specializing in culinary management. Combining commerce, culinary, food studies, and externship experiences, this degree program prepares graduates for kitchen, operations management, food development, or entrepreneur positions. Through our culinary management courses, students will gain an understanding of eight key areas:

• Culinary Proficiency
• Culinary Theory
• Accounting and Finance
• Marketing and Communications
• Human Resources and Risk Management
• Specialized Business
• Research
• General Knowledge (Liberal Studies)

Your Field Education Options
Take part in a unique and robust externship. George Brown works with employers and industry partners to identify potential work experience opportunities. Students are also strongly encouraged to pursue self-directed industry work experience opportunities they believe will provide the learning experiences they value and meet the program's learning outcomes. This valuable work experience can in turn be added to your resumé.

In addition to more formal on-the-job work experience, George Brown College strives to provide learning opportunities with real-world challenges and customers.

Program Learning Outcomes
The graduate must maintain good standing with a minimum 2.3 program GPA (67% or above). Graduates will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Distinguish among and apply current practices from industry and scholarship relating to accounting, marketing, customer service, human resources, supply chain management, health and safety, costing and pricing, hospitality, and risk management.
• Identify, appraise and/or apply various methods, skills, tools and systems used in a variety of disciplines related to culinary practice and study.
• Research and analyze societal, environmental, cultural, economic, culinary and/or market demands at local, regional and international levels.
• Collaborate effectively as part of a diverse culinary management team in order to develop strategies to realize organizational objectives in a variety of food service environments.
• Drawing on fields of study and practice, develop and manage strategic partnerships, customer service and relationships.
• Plan and execute fundamental contemporary cooking techniques that reflect an advanced knowledge of food theory and practice, nutrition and professional systems used in the culinary industry.
• Use management theories and methodologies in order to provide recommendations for realizing organizational objectives specific to different kinds of culinary operations.
• Develop a new food product, business and/or event, in order to facilitate market realization.
• Apply advanced management techniques and theories to support large-scale, multi-unit culinary operations.
• Monitor changing practices and evolving knowledge related to culinary management to select strategies for lifelong learning and professional advancement in the field of study.
• Examine personal strengths, weaknesses, and knowledge limitations in order to develop strategies that promote growth and build leadership potential.
• Communicate information and concepts using advanced verbal and written skills that reflect disciplinary norms.
• Use qualitative and/or quantitative information to develop cogent arguments, make sound judgments and apply concepts, principles and techniques that inform or enhance diverse types of culinary operations.

George Brown College has been delivering this nutrition program with great success for more than 30 years. We'll build on the culinary skills you already have by teaching you about food modification, clinical nutrition, physiology, nutrition analysis, sanitation and safety. Through classroom instruction and work placements, you'll learn how hospitals, retirement homes and long-term care facilities provide their patients and residents with nutritious food and care.

This top nutrition program is accredited by the Canadian Society of Nutrition Management, which is necessary for employment as a Food and Nutrition Manager in Ontario.

Program Schedule

• The schedule for the Food and Nutrition Management program is based on a five-day week, Monday to Friday, with classes from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. This allows students to pursue part-time positions in related health-care fields while in school.

Your Field Education Options

• As part of the program you will practice your skills by completing a work integrated learning opportunity in our student-run Café. Students will complete 35 hours including weekends as this models our café business operation. This valuable work experience can be added to your resume.

Program Learning Outcomes

• The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to
  • Plan menus to accommodate the nutritional, dietary and medical needs, cultural and religious requirements, and personal preferences of clients.
  • Manage handling, preparation and service of food to ensure compliance with relevant legislation, policies, procedures, and industry best practices for health, safety, sanitation, quality assurance and client satisfaction.
  • Manage nutritional needs of diverse clients in health care and other food service settings in collaboration with or under the direction of health care professionals.
  • Support others to work professionally and ethically in accordance with industry, organization and legal standards.
  • Monitor relevant local, national and global trends, emerging technologies, changes to legislation and best practices to enhance work performance and guide management decisions.
  • Deliver customer service that anticipates, meets and/or exceeds individual expectations and is consistent with organization standards and objectives.
  • Manage hiring, coaching, training, scheduling, work performance and evaluation of department staff in accordance with human resources, labour relations, workplace health and safety, and industry best practices.
  • Manage inventory, suppliers and procurement of goods and services according to industry best practices, financial constraints, and principles of social responsibility and environmental sustainability.
  • Analyze food and nutrition services and operations, and manage the implementation and evaluation of changes, to support continuous improvement.
  • Plan and manage budgets consistent with organization objectives and legal requirements for food and nutrition service departments.
  • Select, use and support the use of information and industry-specific technologies to enhance individual work performance and the management and delivery of food and nutrition services.
  • Promote food and nutrition services and healthy living to support marketing plans and the general well-being of stakeholders.

Social Service Worker is an innovative program that provides students with an opportunity to learn theoretical models, approaches to practice, group facilitation, mental health supports, social innovation and anti-oppressive practice. This two-year program combines in-class learning with field placement.

This is an approved education program by the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW).

Program Learning Outcomes
The Ministry of Trainining, Colleges and Universities program standards apply to all Social Service Worker Diploma Programs delivered by OCAAT institutions.

• The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:
  • Develop respectful and collaborative professional and interpersonal relationships that adhere to professional, legal, and ethical standards aligned to social service works.
  • Record information accurately and communicate effectively in written, digital, verbal and non-verbal ways, in adherence to privacy and freedom of information legislation, in accordance with professional and workplace standards.
  • Integrate a practice framework within a service delivery continuum, addressing the needs of individuals, families and communities at micro, mezzo, macro and global levels, and work with them in achieving their goals.
  • Plan and implement accessible and responsive programs and services, recognizing the diverse needs and experiences of individuals, groups, families and communities and meeting these needs.
  • Examine current social policy, relevant legislation, and political, social, historical, and/or economic systems and their impacts for individuals and communities when delivering services to the user/client.
  • Develop strategies and approaches that support individual clients, groups, families and communities in building the capacity for self-advocacy, while affirming their dignity and self-worth.
  • Work from an anti-oppressive, strengths-based practice, recognizing the capacity for resilience and growth of individuals and communities when responding to the diverse needs of marginalized or vulnerable populations to act as allies and advocates.
  • Develop strategies and approaches to implement and maintain holistic self-care as a member of a human service profession.
  • Work with individuals, groups, families and their communities to ensure that service provider strategies promote social and economic justice, and challenge patterns of oppression, discrimination and harassment, and sexual violence with clients, coworkers and communities.
  • Develop the capacity to work with the Indigenous individual, families, groups and communities while respecting their inherent rights to self-determine, and to identify and address systemic barriers that produce ill-effects, developing appropriate responses using approaches such as trauma informed care practice.
  • Note: The learning outcomes have been numbered as a point of reference; numbering does not imply prioritization, sequencing, nor weighting of significance.

The Honours Bachelor of Digital Experience Design Degree is a four-year program that produces designers who can solve problems using human-centred, socially conscious, and economically viable digital solutions.

Digital experience design includes related fields such as service design, user experience design and interaction design. It involves understanding human behaviour and human computer interaction, conducting research and usability studies, managing projects and working in teams, applying business skills, working with existing and emerging digital technologies, prototyping new ideas and anticipating future trends.

In this program, students will develop the ability to critically analyze and adapt to ever-changing conditions of technology and culture. Foundational courses build students’ analytical, technical and business skills. In upper-year courses and capstone projects, students collaborate on digital interfaces and applications, as well as interactive environments and objects.

This design degree curriculum focuses on three areas of learning based on the digital experience design process:

• Think: design thinking, theory, culture and research
• Make: designing, building and testing digital experiences
• Ship: entrepreneurship and the commercialization of digital products

Interactive Digital Media is a growing industry that is quickly changing, driven by shifts in consumer behaviour and technology. Graduates of this program will be able to contribute to and eventually lead interdisciplinary teams to solve problems across a variety of fields such as security, transportation, education and manufacturing. The degree also prepares students to pursue graduate studies in a wide range of academic disciplines.

Program Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Integrate digital experience design theories and methodologies to solve real-life problems and address societal issues.
• Explain the relationships between digital interactive experiences and products and other fields of practice and study.
• Provide human-centred and research-based solutions and design opportunities across sectors.
• Determine the usability of interactive systems to optimize the performance of a product or service.
• Incorporate key theoretical concepts of design to inform the planning, production and critique of interactive digital experiences.
• Develop applications based on trends in digital experience design.
• Incorporate relevant technological systems in the process of developing digital experiences.
• Use human-centred design principles to develop and test digital products, systems and services to enhance the aesthetic and functional experience.
• Select the appropriate tools that allow for designing, building, visualizing and programming digital interactive experiences.
• Create interactive products, systems and services using appropriate technologies, materials and manufacturing methods.
• Collaborate with and lead interdisciplinary design teams and stakeholders in the process of designing a product or service.
• Manage a design project by applying business, legal and ethical principles.
• Conceive of economically viable projects with accompanying business models

In the Digital Media Marketing graduate certificate, students will develop the foundational knowledge and applied skills that employers value in digital marketing. Key areas covered in the program include social media marketing, mobile marketing, search marketing, content marketing, owned media marketing, paid media marketing along with marketing analytics. In the final semester, students work on a capstone project.

The Digital Media Marketing program is offered in Toronto through a combination of in-class courses and hybrid courses (which combines online delivery with in-class instruction), with approximately 40% of teaching delivered online, thus students will require a laptop computer. 

Your Field Education Options
WORK EXPERIENCE (CO-OP OR INTERNSHIP WORK TERM)
This program requires the successful completion of a one-semester work experience term to graduate. This work experience is either co-op (paid) or internship (unpaid). Either one will give you the practical experience employers value. The work term occurs after the end of the second academic semester.

George Brown works with employers and industry partners to identify potential work experience opportunities. Students then apply for these opportunities and go through a competitive interview process. Students are also strongly encouraged to pursue self-directed industry work experience opportunities they believe will provide the learning experiences they value and meet the learning outcomes of the program. This valuable work experience can in turn be added to your resumé.