Certificate in Personal Support Worker

at Humber College North Campus Canada

This is one of the few Pre-Health Pathway programs with real science lab experience with no prior lab experience/studies necessary. There are a multitude of careers in health sciences, and this program is a pathway to explore your options. You will strengthen your science, writing and math skills, and explore career paths in biotechnology, pharmacy technician, registered or practical nursing, Chinese medicine, paramedicine and more. 

This program will enable you to:  

• Experience learning in a science lab 
• Participate in lab teams and conduct science experiments – starting in your first semester 
• Build your foundational skills in math, critical thinking, problem solving – key skills for every career in the health sciences 
• Gain science credits in Biology, Anatomy, Chemistry, Physics and more 
• Hone your academic skills for future studies 
• Explore many possible careers in health sciences with guest speakers and pathways events 
• You will learn to analyze personal and professional situations from various perspectives to help develop a sense of personal and social responsibility as a citizen and allied health professional.

Humber’s Post-Production graduate certificate program will develop the technological skills, creative and critical abilities you will need to thrive in the post-production industry. You will gain a firm grounding in industry-standard, non-linear video editing software. Through lectures and hands-on work, you will learn the fundamentals of the technical and aesthetic creation of digital media content and get the opportunity to specialize and target specific post-production skills to maximize your marketability in a competitive industry.

You will learn how to collaborate with other departments in the production chain, and how to develop efficient broadcast standard workflows. You will be introduced to the theory and practice of picture and sound editing/mixing, VFX and motion graphics creation, and you will learn how to make professional contacts, engage with employers and guilds, and the basic business skills you will need as a freelancer. You will study the fundamentals of branding and graphic design and produce a marketable portfolio website.

With technology as its main focus, your sound, picture, and visual effects compositing skills will enable you to create content to the industry standards required in the competitive media environment.

Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:

• Prepare detailed post-production budgets using Movie Magic Budgeting programs.
• Evaluate documentaries, narrative films, TV series and music videos for creative features and technical aspects.
• Prepare and integrate 2-D and 3-D graphic and animation footage using post-production applications.
• Manage the editing process using an Edit Decision List.
• Complete picture editing projects using non-linear editing suites within specified time frames and budgets.
• Complete audio editing projects using non-linear editing suites within specified time frames and budgets.
• Design and build a network system for post-production applications.
• Manage post-production teams.
• Manage post-production projects.
• Distribute interactive content produced through the Web and DVD.
• Compile a portfolio of creative work for presentations to funding agencies and post-production facilities in order to secure employment.

Work Placement

• This program includes a mandatory work placement. We work with you to find a suitable placement in your chosen field of specialization, allowing you to apply the skills you’ve learned in a professional environment. Placements will take place in post-production houses and media companies in Toronto. Work placements are typically unpaid but provide you with the opportunity to further your knowledge in your chosen field and begin to build your resumé and network of professional contacts.

Industrial designers design products for consumers.  Examples include sports footwear, headphones, wearables and automobiles. Graduates of the program are in high demand for the practical skills gained through the program’s hands-on learning environment. These skills include sketching, digital graphic rendering, model-making and computer-aided design (CAD).  The program is project driven, and many of the design projects will involve industry collaboration to ensure real-world relevance.

Students elect a design specialization in Year 3 in one of:

• Automotive design
• Product design or
• Interaction design

Automotive designers design the appearance (styling) of motor vehicles including automobiles, motorcycles and off-road vehicles. Humber is the only industrial design program in Canada that offers an automotive design specialization. 
In product design, there is more emphasis on the method of finding a solution to a user’s problem in order to make doing a task easier or make the user experience with the product more satisfying.
Interaction design is a new offering in the program which recognizes that more and more physical products are integrating a digital component, including touch screens or voice activation.

Learning Outcomes

• Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:
  • Meet the professional criteria as established by the ACIDO Charter (The Association of Chartered Industrial Designers of Ontario), demonstrating core competencies in skills, knowledge and design methodology in industrial design meeting.
  • Design, document and communicate high quality interior design propositions of varying size, scope and complexity employing principles of evidence-based design methodology.
  • Explain how products work; how products can be made to work better for people; what makes a product useful, usable, and desirable; and how products are manufactured and serviced.
  • Select and employ appropriate visual languages to investigate, analyze, interpret, develop and articulate ideas for two and three-dimensional projects.
  • Produce sophisticated design proposals emphasizing three-dimensional quality of space achieved through architectural detailing.
  • Communicate concepts and requirements to other designers and colleagues who work with them, and to clients and employers. This need to communicate draws upon: verbal and written forms, two-dimensional and three-dimensional media, and levels of detailing ranging from sketching to engineering drawings.
  • Employ computer-aided drafting (CAD), computer-aided industrial design (CAID), and appropriate 2D and 3D graphic software to create graphic presentations and marketing materials.
  • Integrate sustainable practices in the design process and demonstrate leadership by educating users in these principles.
  • Analyze the complexity of forces – economic, political, physiological, sociological and technological – which influence the design of the physical environment.
  • Incorporate principles of user-centered design, human factors and ergonomics in design solutions.
  • Select appropriate methods and materials to achieve the technical functionality and aesthetically pleasing built environment.
  • Select the appropriate process(es) and materials for manufacture for a given production volume.
  • Support the marketing function with design strategy supported by graphic/3D materials.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between human behaviour and the built environment and the implications in preparing design solutions.
  • Assess the implications for interior design presented by key developments in current and emerging materials, media and technologies and in interdisciplinary approaches to contemporary design practice.
  • Source information on copyright, mechanical patents, and protection of intellectual property, as applied and practiced in the professional field of industrial design.
  • Develop a business case for and present design solutions to a variety of stakeholder in keeping with professional standards and practices.
  • Employ effective and professional communication skills and techniques to interact, negotiate and undertake collaborative efforts including meaningful discussion of one’s work in an open studio environment, with audiences, clients, markets, end-users and team members.
  • Work collaboratively with clients to develop an understanding of the product requirements, leading to a design brief.
  • Confidently employ appropriate professional accountability, personal and business ethics demonstrating competency of industry practices.
  • Work in a team effectively, utilizing skills of collaboration, negotiation, compromise and conflict resolution.
  • Employ appropriate conventions of measurement, scale, site measuring, drafting and volumetric manipulation through a variety of manual and digital modeling techniques.
  • Design to exceed the minimum standards of applicable laws, codes, regulations, and practices that protect the health, safety and welfare of the public.
  • Speak clearly and persuasively for design concepts and resources.
  • Plan and manage projects, demonstrate good time management skills, be a self-starter, and show resourcefulness.
  • Employ both convergent and divergent thinking in the process of observation, investigation, speculative enquiry, ideation, rationalization and implementation of design solutions.
  • Source, navigate, select, retrieve, evaluate, manipulate and manage information from a variety of sources, both primary and secondary.
  • Conduct themselves with honesty and integrity, demonstrating professional accountability.
  • Employ a variety of methods of design to develop design solutions.
  • Analyze information and experiences in order to articulate an academically structured, sustained and well-supported argument supporting a design issue or creative interior design solution.
  • Identify and analyze the customer needs of an identified target market.
  • Find relevant information that informs the design process, employing a number of techniques and skills including: observation, expert interviews, market information, and various digital search techniques.
  • Employ a variety of ideation techniques, including: sketching, brainstorming, rapid sketching, analogy, metaphors, symbols, and form exploration/sketch modeling
  • Develop a design solution which meets users’ needs, derived from concept development, product aesthetics (form, color, texture, haptics) that reflects market trends, human factors (including ergonomics, user interaction, and safety), model making, materials and technology, sustainable design, manufacturing feasibility and design validation, and cost.
  • Demonstrate good problem solving abilities.
  • Develop creative and innovative solutions.
  • Demonstrate a strong aesthetic sensibility and style, resulting in design solutions with visual appeal.
  • Articulate a well-supported argument justifying a design concept or creative design solution.
  • Articulate the difference and relationship between a product’s form and function and the emotional and experiential needs it fulfills.
  • Articulate design strategy in the context of business strategy.

Work Placement

• This program includes a work placement of 420 hours in the summer between Year three and four.

Design is everywhere - built into the environments we navigate, the financial and social services we access, the technology we use, products we consume, and processes we use to do our jobs. Design is providing innovative solutions to the most pressing and urgent problems in today’s world. There has never been a more exciting or relevant time to be a designer.

A wide variety of subjects will guide you through important conceptual and practical design fundamentals such as design theory and practice, prototyping, and usability testing. Design courses will help you develop visual storytelling and communication skills, ensuring that you are equipped with top-notch graphic and user design skills upon graduation.

Our program is designed to respond to the increasing demand for designers prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Grounded by the unifying principle of human-centeredness, this program focuses on how design thinking can be harnessed for social change, improve daily experiences, and make processes and interfaces more human-focused.

Humber’s Fitness and Health Promotion diploma program places you at the leading edge of the healthy revolution as you learn from expert, industry-connected faculty. Skills learned go far beyond the fundamentals of exercise to include anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, business administration and marketing, nutrition, injury management, special event planning, and more.

You will combine classroom theory with hands-on training and real-world experience in our unique Humber Centre for Healthy Living for a comprehensive foundation in fitness that includes working with personal training clients and preparing to earn nationally and internationally recognized certifications. You will apply what you have learned by participating in one of the program’s annual special events promoting healthy living, organized and executed by students. Your dedication to wellness and your desire to positively impact lives will propel your career in this interactive and life affirming field.

Please note that certain courses in the Fitness and Health Promotion program require students to participate in fitness classes that will involve physical activity, which may at times be vigorous. Questions about fitness classes and accommodations may be directed to the program co-ordinator (name and email details located in the Contact Us tab).

Work Placement

• You will get hands-on experience as a fitness professional through two unpaid work placements, one per semester in your second year of study.
• Your first work placement takes place on campus where you will perform fitness appraisals and conduct weekly personal training sessions for an assigned client as part of the Humber Centre for Healthy Living (CHL). Along with personal training, students also provide fitness and exercise tips as content for the Humber CHL website.
• Your second work placement takes place off campus, two days per week for 14 weeks (196 hours total) at a fitness facility in a municipal, commercial, private or corporate setting.

Humber’s Law Clerk diploma program provides in-depth training delivered by experienced professionals. Learn from practising lawyers and law clerks who will give you the inside scoop on the current trends and opportunities in the field. As a law clerk, working under the direct supervision of a lawyer, you will be an important part of the team that allows the lawyer to succeed. 

Your law clerk education includes courses on contract, tort, real estate, corporate and family law, as well as in litigation, legal research, wills and estates, and more. Your solid knowledge on diverse areas of law, competence in a range of legal and court procedures, and strong written and oral communication skills will make you a valuable team player in the profession.

Work Placement
Students must complete a 120 hour work placement. The unpaid placement is completed during Semester 4.  All courses from Semesters 1 to 3 must be completed before enrolling in the field placement in Semester 4. Working with the field placement advisor, students are actively involved in pursuing placement opportunities. In addition, students are expected to market themselves to prospective employers and are free to initiate their own placements.

Humber’s Regulatory Affairs graduate certificate program focuses on developing the concepts, skills and techniques required to work in regulatory affairs in the pharmaceutical, medical device or biotechnology industries. You will gain knowledge of the regulatory system, legislation, procedures and practices which relate to the development, manufacture, quality assurance and marketing of health-related products. 

The importance of internationally harmonized regulations and future trends in the industry will be examined by analyzing relevant international and Canadian legislation and regulations. You will study a wide range of regulations and standards including good manufacturing practices, good laboratory practices, good clinical practices, good documentation practices, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the Canadian Food and Drugs Act, the Environmental Protection Act, principles of regulatory compliance and inspections, drug establishment licensing, and related standards and guidelines. Teamwork and communication skills are emphasized and you will acquire information technology skills that assist communication and data management specific to regulatory affairs.

You will become familiar with the steps necessary for product submission; how to assemble documents and statistical evidence; the complexity of product registration, negotiation and follow-up; and how these are linked to the federal government and provincial formularies.

Following two academic course-based semesters, students complete a three-month placement that provides opportunities to apply and integrate theoretical knowledge and skills into real-world work settings. Most placements are in the following sectors: pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device organizations, government agencies or food industries.

The pharmaceutical industry is facing constant development. As society is aging more focus is being given to the development of new drugs and the improvement of health care. The comprehensive training we provide, combined with previous degrees and work experience, make our students highly marketable. Our graduates work in a spectrum of fields such as pharmaceutics, biotechnology, medical devices, natural health product industries or in government.

Humber’s Occupational Therapist Assistant/Physiotherapist Assistant (OTA/PTA) diploma program was the first in Ontario to provide formal educational preparation for occupational therapist assistants (OTAs) and physiotherapist assistants (PTAs) and continues to provide quality education. You will learn to assist in the implementation of rehabilitation treatment plans and programs developed to promote clients’ independence, activities and function. Areas of focus include restoring and maximizing physical function and occupational performance, ultimately enabling clients to effectively utilize their abilities in movement, daily functioning and activity while promoting overall well-being.

Practise your skills and acquire hands-on experience during over 600 hours (16 weeks) of unpaid work placements. These placements are arranged by the program fieldwork placement advisor during Semester 2, Semester 3 and Semester 4. You will have the opportunity to be exposed to leading-edge therapeutic skills, equipment and health-care facilities. This program offers the privilege of participating in clinical placements in occupational therapy and physiotherapy at some of the top teaching hospitals in Canada.

There are many reasons why a person may require occupational therapy and/or physiotherapy rehabilitation services. In addition to health and wellness promotion, individuals may require assistance returning to their activities of daily living and regular work due to falls, motor vehicle accidents,  sports injuries, spinal cord injuries, stroke, mental health conditions and chronic illnesses such as cystic fibrosis and diabetes. If you relish the challenges of creative problem solving and critical thinking; have good physical health; and enjoy meeting people while wishing to work with those who are physically, developmentally, and/or emotionally challenged, a career as an OTA/PTA is for you. You will have the opportunity to work in a variety of environments such as acute care and community hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, long-term care facilities, private practice, and retail.

Work Placement
Practise your skills and acquire hands-on experience during over 500 hours of unpaid work placements. These placements are arranged by the program fieldwork placement advisor during Semester 2, 3 and 4.

You will have the opportunity to be exposed to leading-edge therapeutic skills, equipment and health-care facilities. This program offers the privilege of participating in clinical placements in occupational therapy and physiotherapy at some of the top teaching hospitals in Canada.

Humber’s Cabinet Making certificate program, located at the Humber Centre for Trades & Technology, provides you with the knowledge and skills to construct and install basic cabinets, as well as build traditional furniture using recognized trade practices. By completing a series of woodworking projects, you will explore various types of joinery and construction techniques using hand tools, portable power tools, stationary machines, as well as computer-based technologies. Time management skills and the ability to work to a deadline are developed and stressed throughout the program.

Graduates of the program will be able to produce shop drawings, calculate a list of materials, cut out and assemble basic cabinetry or furniture and also apply a finish. Graduates are able to safely operate most common stationary woodworking machinery, as well as run a number of CNC machines in a limited capacity.

Humber’s Esthetician/Spa Management diploma program gives you the business management and hands-on skills you need for a career in the $119 billion Spa Economy (Global Wellness Institute, 2018). On the business side, learn the fundamentals of business writing, marketing, retail operation and day-to-day spa management. Hands-on courses focus on traditional services such as nail care technologies, advanced facial techniques, waxing, body treatments and makeup applications. As well, you will learn advanced medical esthetic services such as OxyGeneo, microdermabrasion, chemical peels, laser and Intense Pulse Light (IPL).

At Humber, you will practise what you are learning and improve your skills at The Humber Spa, a simulated work environment and retail boutique open to the community. Working under the guidance of qualified lab technicians, you will manage the administrative functions of the spa, including frontline responsibilities, retail operations and providing spa services. You will provide a series of treatments including facials, hand and foot care, and body treatments to clientele.

In the first semester, you will be introduced to spa management and client services, physiology of the skin, and professional skin care, and begin to train in traditional esthetic services. In the second semester, you will study computer applications, advanced facial techniques, waxing services and nail care. Later in the program, you will study marketing, cosmetic applications, human resource management and medical spa services. 

Work Placement
Two work placements offer students experience working with clients. The placements will be onsite at The Humber Spa.