Diploma of Professional Studies (DEP) in Secretarial Studies

at Lester B. Pearson School Board - West Island Career Centre Canada

The Secretarial Studies program teaches you a broad range of skills and readies you to take on a career in an office setting. Expertise in writing and formatting business documents, in bookkeeping, and in word processing makes administrative professionals indispensable to almost every type of business.

All of our classrooms are equipped with the latest technology and business software. Our teachers are seasoned experts who understand business dynamics and how to thrive as a working professional. You will work independently and in small groups and will be encouraged to build new skills through collaboration, sharing, and hands-on learning.

Skills you will learn:

• Latest business software.
• Business meeting management, effective business correspondence, desktop publishing techniques, basic accounting procedures, and French language correspondence.
• Leadership and teamwork building, interpersonal communication, and effective time management strategies.

The Health Assistance & Nursing program prepares you with the skills to deliver health care to patients in order to support their optimal quality of life. Nursing assistants carry out a variety of essential tasks and are an important part of a health care team.

Our exciting learning spaces include interactive classrooms and laboratories that simulate a true to life hospital environment. Working in small groups, you will benefit from co-operative learning with your classmates. All of our teachers are former nurses and they share their experience through hands on learning and support. Learning theory is complemented by real world experience in a hospital setting through our student placement program.

Skills you will learn:

• Care of patients
• How to administer medication and perform medical procedures
• Understanding how body systems work
• CPR and PDSB

The Professional Sales program is designed for the student who wants to develop the skills to become a successful sales person. The Professional Sales Program trains students in the sales of products or services, to offer solutions that correspond to their customers’ needs, to provide advice, establish a climate of trust and build customer loyalty by offering personalized service that meets customer expectations.

Our teachers are accomplished business leaders who guide you step by step through the program. A combination of multimedia, lectures, and guest speakers provides you with a curriculum that covers the skills you need to learn in sales. You will have the opportunity to network with experienced sales people who will share their real world experience. Students learn from actual case studies and have the opportunity to get on the job experience with two internships (stages). The flexible hours and part-time schedule allows students to enroll in the program while managing other personal and work related commitments.

Skills you will learn:

• Greeting customers
• Applying sales techniques
• Closing a sale
• Setting up merchandising displays
• Organizing promotions
• Taking inventory
• Using cash register and computerized sales system

The Institutional and Home Care Assistance program prepares students to practice the occupation of a health care attendant in the public and private health care sectors. Institutional and Home Care Assistants provide care, support or guide clients in organizing and carrying out activities of daily living.

Learning is a combination of theory and practical competencies.  Our exciting learning spaces include interactive classrooms and laboratories that simulate a true working environment.  All our teachers are health care professionals who share their experience through hands-on learning and support. 

645 hours of theory in the Centre, is complemented with 225 hours of industry training in an institutional or home care setting in the public or private sector, for a total of 870 hours.  Graduates may work in the public, private or community health networks.

Skills you will learn:

• How to provide basic care and assistance with activities of daily living
• PDSB (Principes de déplacement sécuritaire des bénéficiaires)
• We are ASSTSAS acredited (Association paritaire pour la santé et la sécurité du travail du secteur affaires sociales)
• First Aid 
• Administration of medication
• Distribution of medication
• Basic invasive care

The Accounting program readies you to enter the business world with invaluable skills related to money management and bookkeeping best practices. The responsibilities of accounting clerks vary widely depending on the type or size of the business they work for.

All of our classrooms are equipped with the latest technology and accounting software. Our teachers are seasoned accountants who understand business dynamics and how to thrive as a working professional. They work closely with you, guiding you towards graduation. Students work in small groups and are encouraged to build new skills through collaboration, sharing, and hands-on learning.

Skills you will learn:

• Business and accounting software
• Preparation of income tax documents, keeping ledgers, cost of goods sold, and other essential small business management skills
• Leadership and teamwork building, interpersonal communication, and effective time management strategies

The Automobile Mechanics program teaches students about the latest technologies in auto maintenance and repair. We offer a bumper to bumper program that gives students an in-depth look at what makes cars move and how to diagnose and fix car problems.   This CPA certification course prepares apprentice mechanics for the CPA certification exam.

Our fully stocked car docks and work stations have the latest tools and diagnostic equipment. Our teachers are car experts that take a hands-on and practical approach when guiding students step by step through the program modules. Working in small groups, students benefit from knowledge sharing with classmates and a chance to explore their passion for cars with other automotive enthusiasts.

Skills you will learn

• Perform maintenance and mechanical repairs to any part of the motor vehicle
• Develop diagnostic capabilities and understand how to identify and fix problems
• Learn about major automotive systems including Power Trains, Brakes, Internal Combustion Engines, Electricity and Supply Systems, and Metrology.