Diploma in Business

at Algonquin College - Ottawa Campus Canada

The Bookkeeping and Accounting Practices Ontario College Certificate program gives you the knowledge and skills to work effectively in a variety of accounting and bookkeeping roles.

This one-year program balances theory and practical training, to ensure that you are ready for your career. Faculty members include experts dedicated to ensuring that you gain a solid foundation of skills.

Explore the full accounting cycle, including:

• Identifying and recording business transactions
• Preparing financial statements
• Developing essential bookkeeping skills by practising working with data such as purchases, payments, sales, collections and payroll.
• Effectively identifying and applying business processes by maintaining paper and computerized financial records.

Develop communication and math skills as well as an understanding of business practices. Work with popular accounting software and spreadsheet tools to ensure that your technical skills are up-to-date.

With an Ontario College Certificate from Algonquin College, you may find employment in entry-level roles such as:

• Payroll clerk
• Accounts payable clerk
• Accounts receivable clerk
• Billing clerk debt collections
• Accounting clerk
• Bookkeeper
• Accounting assistant

The Environmental Management and Assessment Ontario College Graduate Certificate program adds depth to your existing expertise in the environmental management and assessment field. Highly skilled and environmentally aware professionals are constantly being sought out by employers in the field. This program enhances your knowledge of environmental sciences.

Gain essential knowledge and skills by studying a range of disciplines throughout this program, including:

• Ecological conservation
• Project management
• Environmental policy and reporting
• Contaminant control
• GIS and environmental map design

Take courses in hydrology, environmental modelling and environmental policies. Courses are offered on evenings and weekends.

Field experiences throughout the program give you integrative skills that employers of this expanding field are looking for.

Students also have the option to gain real-world experience through a paid co-operative education (co-op) work term. Please note that places in the co-op version of the program are subject to availability.

Graduates of this program may be employed in a number of fields including:

• Ecology research and reporting
• Water and wastewater monitoring
• Site assessments
• Cost proposals
• Pollution prevention and control
• Regulatory compliance
• Policy development

In the Law Clerk (Intensive) 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 is offered in a compressed format over 42 weeks so you can start your career as soon as possible. The 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 practice 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 practice your skills.

Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Support the needs of clients and legal professionals through the use of accurate terminology and professional communication strategies, both orally and in writing.
• Complete all work within routine and unexpected time lines and limitation periods within the legal environment.
• Use current and relevant electronic and print resources, within the legal environment, to conduct legal research, to assist with file and evidentiary management, to facilitate communication and generate legal documentation, complying with current regulations and procedures.
• Research and summarize the presenting legal issues, applying knowledge of substantive law, to support the legal team.
• Apply rules of procedure to support best legal practices.
• Conduct oneself professionally in adherence to the guidelines of the Law Society of Upper Canada.
• Carry out clerical and administrative duties for the operation of a variety of legal environments.
• Outline strategies for ongoing professional development to ensure continuing competence as a Law Clerk.
• Act equitably and justly with diverse populations.
• Provide support for legal professionals in courts and administrative tribunals within the legal system.
• Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.

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 two-year Office Administration - Executive Ontario College Diploma program prepares you for a rewarding career as an administrative professional in the public or private sector.

Develop essential skills through extensive applied practice in a simulated office in the areas of human resources, social media, office management, domestic and international travel, event planning and finance. Enhance your MS Office suite abilities through document production, transcription, desktop publishing, accounting practices, and database and project management.

Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Conduct oneself professionally and adhere to relevant legislation, standards and codes of ethics.
• Manage the scheduling, coordination and organization of administrative tasks and workflow within specific deadlines and according to set priorities.
• Coordinate the collection, analysis, distribution and response to communications in the workplace to facilitate the flow of information.
• Operate and provide support related to the use, maintenance and procurement of office equipment and technologies.
• Evaluate, establish and administer a variety of records management systems* to ensure confidential, secure, accessible and organized electronic and paper records.
• Produce financial documents and reports by identifying and compiling relevant information and using accounting software.
• Prepare and produce a variety of business documents using available technologies and applying industry standards.
• Use interpersonal, leadership and client service skills to respond to diversity and to support the vision and mission of the organization.
• Research, analyze and summarize information on resources and services and prepare summary reports with recommendations.
• Select and use information technologies to support communication with internal and external stakeholders and to promote the organization.
• Organize and coordinate meetings, conferences, special events and make travel arrangements, including the preparation of related documentation.
• Support the implementation of projects by applying basic principles of project management.
• Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.

The Social Service Worker (Intensive) program, comprised of three terms, is an accelerated model of the two-year Social Service Worker program. This program is available for students who have completed prior post-secondary education in a related field (six courses in psychology, anthropology, and/or sociology).

Through theory and practical experiences, the program prepares you to support a wide range of client groups and communities who are in the process of change or growth, including those impacted by issues such as:

• loss and separation
• family crisis
• poverty
• violence
• homelessness
• addiction
• disability
• unemployment
• oppression
• resettlement issues

As a student, you complete one field placement experience totaling more than 350 hours. You identify, practice and incorporate theoretical knowledge at a level that provides top client service. As well, you strengthen the bond between yourself and the community by participating in various applied research projects and direct practice opportunities. With these opportunities, you are ready to work on the front line of social services.

Graduates may secure employment as Social Service Workers in provincial, municipal and private social service agencies including:

• drop-in centres
• employment services
• addiction and mental health services
• schools and youth services
• community health and resource centres
• shelters
• residential treatment programs

The one-year Energy Management Ontario College Graduate Certificate prepares you for an exciting career in energy, innovation, entrepreneurship and the development of efficient new energy technologies.

Learn about energy solutions such as efficiency, conservation and sustainability. Participate in laboratory work, contribute to a real-world project and learn from case-studies in the energy management industry. Explore how to implement, manage, administer and work on energy management practices throughout the program. By analyzing data sets, evaluating the impact of energy efficiency and conservation programs and performing cost-benefit analyses, you obtain highly-regarded skills for the industry.

During your final semester, participate in an energy management project with peers and industry partners. Through in-class discussions and collaboration, you plan and create an energy strategy for a commercial building.

Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Analyze an organization`s current energy profile to plan and establish an energy management strategy.
• Monitor, track and benchmark energy data to compare performance and establish baselines and targets to determine trends.
• Conduct energy assessments to propose optimal energy solutions.
• Recommend energy management options, solutions and technologies to maintain long-term operational and infrastructure efficiency.
• Prepare and present technical reports and proposals in a scientific format using accurate energy terminology.
• Research and apply industry accepted standards for energy analyses.
• Create and present persuasive business cases for energy projects.
• Manage energy project implementation to successfully meet organizational goals.
• Evaluate energy performance using measurement and verification strategies.
• Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.

The two-year Film and Media Production Ontario College Diploma program, delivered in a compressed format over 42 weeks, gives you hands-on experience with the equipment and processes used in the film and screen-based media production industry. The production industry has been an important contributor to the provincial, national and international economies for years. You benefit from the City of Ottawa`s promotion of the National Capital Region as a film-friendly location for local and external film production companies.

Participate in the creation of music videos, factual television, dramatic and documentary productions, and immerse yourself in the complete workflow of modern digital filmmaking - from production to direction and cinematography to post-production and delivery.

Through the creation of original student content and participation in real-world productions, the program mirrors the experience and expectations of the production industry and prepares you for careers in the film production sector. Through field placement, you examine the responsibilities and expectations of working on film sets, while learning and networking alongside established industry professionals.

Graduates may find entry-level employment in a variety of positions at production houses, post-production facilities, advertising agencies, government departments and equipment rental facilities.

Accredited by the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists (OACETT), Computer Systems Technician is a two year Ontario College Diploma program that prepares the students for a career in either the public or the private sector in Information technology. 

The program focuses on the technical aspects of widely used troubleshooting techniques and components for networking technologies, system administration, computer hardware, operating systems, and a suite of related support and application software packages along with developing the communication skills, IT workplace ethics, technical report writing skills, customer support/interpersonal skills, workplace health and safety knowledge. 

The requirements and subject matter found in certifications, such as Computer Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) A+, Network+, Linux+, Security+,  Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) and Cisco Academy CCENT/CCNA are explored, and the students are encouraged to write relevant industry certifications once they have met the requirements.

The college provides the students with access to the most modern computing facilities running Windows and GNU/Linux/UNIX-based operating system (O/S) platforms, hardware labs, Aruba and Cisco, specialized networking, network-based O/S servers, licensed versions of selected Microsoft O/S, VMWare and supporting a wide variety of pre-installed software applications offering them great exposure to real-world technologies. 

Become a Powerline Technician

This two-year Powerline Technician Ontario College Diploma program prepares you with the skills you need to succeed as a powerline technician in Ontario. Begin by learning electrical basics and move on to design, planning, construction and maintenance of distribution lines.

You will learn:

• How to use AutoCAD to design structures in 2D and 3D
• About electrical machinery and metering
• How to develop essential safety skills and knowledge
• About practice rigging
• How to design overhead and underground power installations 

Starting in the second term, you begin spending one day per week at the Hydro Ottawa partner site located on Bank Street in Ottawa. There you learn climbing, rigging and other hands-on skills you can apply throughout your career.

To ensure the safety of all students, you must complete a Working at Heights training session before you begin training at Hydro Ottawa.

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.

Graduates of this program may be able to work as a powerline technician with electric power generation, and transmission and distribution companies, or pursue a career with electrical contractors and public utility commissions.