Certificate in Applied Business Technology - Administrative Assistant

at Northern Lights College - Dawson Creek Campus Canada

The Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Program at Northern Lights College (NLC) provides opportunities to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to work with young children and their families in early learning settings in British Columbia. A variety of delivery methods enables students to remain in their home communities and to integrate theoretical and practical experiences through full- or part-time studies. The program prepares students to apply for various BC ECE Registry certificates to practice.

The Applied Business Technology program prepares students to work in offices in business, government, and industry. The demand for administrative assistants in government, municipal offices, accounting firms, oil and gas, legal, and health care is growing, and employers actively seek our graduates. Students are trained in current software packages and administrative procedures in order to be prepared for employment upon graduation.

This program teaches current office skills in word processing, keyboarding, spreadsheets, automated accounting and bookkeeping. Business communications and office procedures courses enable students to develop the soft skills necessary for success in today’s offices. Students utilize current Microsoft Office software in the program.

While most students complete the Administrative Assistant specialization, two alternative streams, Financial Assistant and Office Assistant, enable students to exit early. Each stream includes a one- or two-week practicum placement to give students the opportunity to apply their new skills in an office environment.

Study as part of a cohort or choose a less intense schedule
Students can enrol in and complete the 39-week Administrative Assistant program as part of a group that starts together in September and finishes together in June. In this cohort environment, all courses are delivered in a face-to-face format.  Cohort students may also opt to exit after 23 weeks as an Office Assistant or after 29 weeks as a Financial Assistant.

The University Arts and Sciences Program at Northern Lights College serves individuals and communities by providing university-level learning opportunities that reflect the intellectual and creative modes of inquiry practiced in the Arts and Sciences. A variety of first- and second-year courses enable learners to pursue numerous credential and career options, and to engage in personal enrichment.

The Associate of Science Degree enables students to select a variety of courses in the field of science. This provincially recognized credential is designed to provide a well-rounded educational experience that prepares students for work, citizenship, and further study.

For students intending to pursue further studies, the Associate of Science Degree comprises the first two years (60 credits) of a four year degree program (120 credits). All 60 credits comprising the Associate Degree receive full block-transfer at universities throughout British Columbia. Accordingly, the Associate of Science Degree enables Northern Lights College students to complete half of a degree program while remaining in their home community.

This program consists of Foundation Heavy Mechanical Trades training in addition to Level 1 Apprenticeship Technical Training. Upon completion of this program, students will choose a specialty apprenticeship path in their fourth year of Heavy Mechanical Trades.

The new Heavy Mechanical Trades program includes the following four trades:

• Truck and Transport Mechanic (Commercial Transport Vehicle Mechanic): Diagnose, repair and service the mechanical, electrical and electronic components of highway buses and trucks. This includes the fuel, brake, steering and suspension, transmission, emission control and exhaust, and cooling and climate control systems. Mechanics work for commercial transport vehicle dealers, garages and service stations, and may specialize in one or more of these systems.
• Heavy Duty Equipment Technician: Overhaul, repair and service heavy equipment used in construction, forestry, materials handling, landscaping, and land clearing such as graders, loaders, bulldozers, shovels, tractors, trucks, forklifts, drills, and wheeled and tracked vehicles. Working from manufacturers' specifications, they identify and repair problems in structural, mechanical, or hydraulic systems. Heavy Duty Equipment Technicians also work on buses and large trucks. 
• Diesel Engine Mechanic: Install, repair, and maintain all internal combustion diesel engines and components as used in transport, construction, and marine. 
• Transport Trailer Technician: Maintain, rebuild, overhaul, recondition, repair and diagnostic troubleshoot commercial truck trailers.

There is a two-week Practicum work placement in this program where students will get the opportunity to showcase their skills to a potential employer.

NLC's Associate of Arts Degree (Health Studies) prepares students for entry into health-related degree programs, with an emphasis on the University of Northern British Columbia's Northern Baccalaureate Nursing Program. The two-year Associate Degree (Health Studies) provides broad coverage across the Arts and Sciences while introducing students to nursing as a career and meeting UNBC's core prerequisite requirements in the social sciences, English, Indigenous studies, human anatomy and physiology, microbiology, psychology, and statistics.

The field of business provides many exciting careers and opportunities in such areas as finance, accounting, entrepreneurship, information technology, general management, marketing, and logistics. Northern Lights College's Business Management Program prepares students for positions of responsibility in the business community and for further educational opportunities by promoting conceptual and technical skill development in business.

The Business Management Program at Northern Lights College offers a wide variety of first and second-year courses for students interested in working towards a Business Diploma, or transferring to university or professional designation programs elsewhere.

The Business Management diploma is a two year program with two streams, allowing students to earn a general business management credential or to specialize in accounting. 

A Diploma in Criminology will be awarded to students who complete the equivalent of two years of required first and second-year courses at Northern Lights College. The diploma is intended to prepare students for entry-level employment positions and for continued studies in academic and professional programs. Relevant areas of work and additional education include Corrections, Criminology, Criminal Justice, Forensic Studies, and Law Enforcement.

The Diploma in Practical Nursing at Northern Lights College follows the new provincial curriculum as revised in 2017. The program is designed to provide learners with the knowledge, skills, judgments, and attitudes to perform to the full range of competencies as endorsed by the British Columbia College of Nursing Professionals (BCCNP).
The curriculum provides a learning experience that is integrated, professional, collaborative, and culturally sensitive, with an aim to prepare graduates to care for individuals (and families of individuals) at multiple life stages and in a variety of practice settings.
Consistent with the CLPNBC Scope of Practice: Standards, Limits and Conditions (2017), the focus for beginners' practice is “promotion, maintenance, and restoration of health, with a focus on clients with stable and predictable states of health."
Upon successful completion of the program, learners will possess the competencies to successfully complete the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Exam (CPNRE).

Esthetics training includes theory and hands-on training in facials, body massage, body treatments, aromatherapy, reflexology, makeup artistry, waxing and tinting.

In Nail Care Technology, students learn theory and application of manicures, pedicures and artificial nail enhancement. Also integrated are the basic principles of anatomy, physiology, microbiology, chemistry, electrotherapy, and sanitation procedures to support the applied learning required for the certificate. Students are introduced to the knowledge and skills necessary for running a salon or spa.

The Post-Degree Diploma in Business Management with a specialization in Health Administration (PDD in HADM) is ideally suited to international students who already hold a minimum three-year degree in nursing or other closely related Health Care profession.  The addition of advanced studies in business and health care administration in a Canadian context will enhance employability for administrative assistant positions and movement into entry level management positions in various health professions in Canada.

The fields of study comprising this multi-disciplinary program include business administration, psychology, and specialized health administration courses. The program introduces management and health administration concepts in a Canadian context, with emphasis on interpersonal and interprofessional communications, organizational behaviour, human resource management, ethics, and change management.