Certificate of General Arts and Science - One Year

at Conestoga College - Doon Campus Canada

Career Development Practitioner is a three-semester (one-year) graduate certificate program that prepares graduates to enter the career development sector. The world of work is rapidly changing and new careers are emerging to meet current and future workforce needs. Career Development Professionals provide information, advice, and guidance related to career exploration, skill acquisition, job search, and maintenance. This one-year graduate (three semesters) certificate program provides training to enter and/or advance in the field of career development such as career and employment advisors, career resource specialists, job developers, or career management professionals. This program may also appeal to practitioners working in the field who want to gain additional formal training, job coaching experience, or attain their Career Development Practitioner designation. Graduation from the program provides the full academic component and partial fulfillment of work experience hours for certification by the Career Development Practitioners' Certification Board of Ontario (CDPCBO).

Completion of this three-year program will allow students to obtain an Ontario College Advanced Diploma in the field of financial planning. The program will provide students with all of the educational requirements to challenge the Financial Planning Standards Council (FPSC) Level 1 and Level 2 Examinations (for CFP Professionals) and optional licensing opportunities with industry regulators such as the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC), the Mutual Fund Dealer Association (MFDA) and the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) for insurance licensing purposes. The progressive course of study combines courses designed at Conestoga with those originating from industry standard setting organizations to prepare students for employment opportunities in banking, insurance, private wealth, brokerage and/or independent practice.

Conestoga College's Business Supply Chain and Operations for Commercial Trucking program will prepare you to work with clients, border crossing agents, and their internal team to be an asset to the supply chain process and optimize business efficiencies and relations. In this program, you will focus on trucking operations, logistics, and business principles. Some of the areas of focus include transportation communication, customer service, freight calculations, hours of service, e-logging legislation, geography, logistics business practices, and driving simulation. Your learning will ensure you are well-prepared for a career specifically in the transportation sector in Canada. Graduates are positioned to begin their AZ licensing with an affiliated 3rd party trainer if commercial driving is their career goal.

Strategic Marketing Communications is an experiential, career-focused program for graduate students who want to learn how to work in the multiple roles expected in the marketing and communications fields. Graduates will enter an evolving area of the communications sector. The move to integrate the ways an organization communicates to its internal and external stakeholders has grown, in part, due to the pervasive use of social media which both enhances and challenges communicators globally. All sectors of business and not-for-profit organizations must now manage both offline and online images and messages for consistency across the traditional silos of marketing, sales, advertising, and public relations. While graduates have the knowledge to work in these diverse fields, they do so by integrating the disciplines with a common strategic direction, to achieve the goals of the organizations that employ them. This strategic approach is emphasized through the planning phase and reinforced as students learn to produce professional collateral and digital content using industry-standard technology and emerging social platforms. Learning culminates in a client-based capstone project to develop an integrated marketing communications plan.

This program is designed for graduates of technical degrees or diplomas to explore further studies across the realm of energy management. You will gain an understanding of various technologies and means of power generation through simulated software and theoretical studies. In this program, you will have the opportunity to explore how core technologies in gas and steam are combined with renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. Theoretical calculations in thermodynamic heating systems are compared with actual field measurements in heating systems to provide you with ample practice opportunities in applied utilities management strategies, where energy management and conservation strategies are assessed as part of utilities optimization. The program helps you develop leadership skills, and the ability to manage complex industrial processes and teams effectively to meet business goals. You will study quality assurance and process and project management with a focus on meeting challenges in an industrial environment from operational and strategic perspectives. During your final semester you will participate in a capstone course where you will work in teams to collaborate, plan and execute a full energy consumption analysis and develop a proposal for energy efficiency improvements for a company incorporating studies and methods you have learned over the prior three semesters.

If you are interested in working in a fast-paced, customer-oriented and diverse esthetics environment, then the Esthetician program is for you. Geared to individuals interested in working in the dynamic spa industry in a variety of roles, the Esthetician program is offered as an Ontario College Diploma, providing theoretical and practical learning experiences in the areas of personal care, specialized beauty and body treatments, nail care, and customer service. The program includes integrated lab experiences plus a number of field placements which support the development of strong practical skills for specific procedures such as waxing, manicure, pedicure, facial treatments and other skin care procedures, with the opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge gained in class. You will learn the latest techniques from spa industry leaders in a state-of-the-art facility, as well as have placements in local spas that are guided and supervised by industry experts.

Conestoga’s Media Foundations program helps you build a broad media skill set for online and broadcast media giving you an opportunity to explore areas of creative industries and to find your passion. Whether you want to be a photographer, multimedia content creator, producer, visual storyteller or a marketing and communications expert, and are not sure where to start, this one-year certificate program can help you build a solid practical and theoretical grounding in creativity, technology, media-related processes, and professionalism. Over two semesters, faculty with current industry experience will provide guidance as you generate ideas, write, present, capture images, and use online and social media platforms to strengthen your storytelling skills. You will work on both individual and collaborative team projects, using industry standard software and technology, giving you an opportunity to build a competitive portfolio of original work. Media Foundations prepares you for further education in various Creative Industries programs, such as Broadcast Radio, Broadcasting-Television and Independent Production, Journalism, Advertising and Marketing Communications.

This program is designed to prepare students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to perform their role as occupational therapist assistants and physiotherapist assistants (OTAs and PTAs). OTAs and PTAs are primarily responsible for implementation of treatment plans to promote physical functioning or to enhance participation in activities of daily living for individuals with a wide range of health conditions. The program integrates classroom theory with hands-on practical skills learning in living lab settings. To enhance critical thinking, decision making and leadership skills, the program makes use of diverse learning opportunities such as small group case-based learning, simulation exercises, applied learning projects and e-learning. Exposure to clinical experiences across a variety of clinical settings is integrated into the curriculum to ensure students have an opportunity to apply skills in a supervised setting.

This program provides students with the necessary knowledge and skills to perform effectively in entry-level bookkeeping positions in business and industry. The program focuses on day-to-day operational bookkeeping and managerial accounting in a computerized business environment.

Do you enjoy working with people and helping them achieve their goals? Do you have strong analytical skills you would like to use in combination with your self-motivation and ambition to achieve performance goals? If yes, a career in financial services may be a good fit for you. Financial service providers cultivate strong relationships with clients by understanding their needs, evaluating the risks, and offering custom-designed solutions to meet their financial goals. The Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) – Financial Services degree program provides the opportunity to develop necessary planning competencies, professional skills, and required technical knowledge needed for a career in financial services. This four-year program, delivered at the honours level, offers a clear pathway to many successful and exciting career opportunities in banking, insurance, investment management, and estate and financial planning. You will learn through a combination of active learning approaches, which include group work, major individual case analyses, multiple projects requiring industry engagement, and meetings with industry professionals outside of the college. By the mid-point of this program, the faculty team ensures you will be ready to begin your preferred major – either in financial planning or property and casualty insurance. Whichever major you choose, you will encounter a blend of extensive technical analyses and opportunities to develop your professional ‘soft’ skills. You will apply and further refine your program-related skills and abilities through an 8-month, paid, full-time co-op work-term situated between third and fourth year. The program curriculum is aligned with the body of knowledge and course requirements (in whole or in part) for a number of professional licenses. As a successful graduate of the Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) – Financial Services degree program, you will meet the pre-requisite conditions to challenge professional examinations and/or receive advanced standing into the following licenses/designations:

• Personal Financial Planner (PFP) granted by the Canadian Securities Institute (CSI)
• Qualified Associate Financial Planner (QAFP) granted by Financial Planning Canada (FP Canada)
• FP Canada’s Certified Financial Planner (CFP)
• Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP)
• Additional licenses for insurance and securities