Diploma in Child and Youth Care Counsellor

at Medicine Hat College Canada

Few people in our society are entrusted with the responsibility of enforcing laws and maintaining order. Professionals in this field must be equipped with technical knowledge and skills, and offer the strong character and personal discipline required to succeed in a demanding environment. The Criminal Justice program will help you prepare to take on this challenge.

Throughout the program, you will gain an understanding of the criminal justice system through studies in:

• Human relations,
• Psychology,
• Sociology,
• Investigations,
• Policing,
• Security,
• Criminology, and
• Law.

Exposure to an array of investigative techniques and practices including forensics, crime scene investigations, and threat and risk assessments will further prepare you for employment in the field of your choice.

Police services, industry trainers and educators have identified the key competencies required in the criminal justice community including leadership skills, ethics, analytical thinking, self-confidence, communication skills, flexibility, diligence, patience, self-control, problem solving, and physical skills. During the program, you are encouraged to attain the necessary skills and fitness level to pass the testing requirements demanded by law enforcement organizations, as well as volunteer for various groups and agencies to demonstrate community involvement.

One of the greatest rewards of working with children is learning how to see the world through their eyes. If you love caring for young children and working with families, our Early Learning and Child Care program will help prepare you for a fulfilling and playful career in this field.

Throughout the program, you will learn the importance of play in the lives of children, and our classes give you lots of hands-on learning opportunities. We play with art materials, story props, and science and math materials to better understand how children learn and how we can help teach them.  

Our program also gives you the opportunity to apply theory to practice every semester through a five-week practicum setting. You’ll be able to practice your communication skills, better understand child development, and provide developmentally appropriate programming for children in a variety of settings.

Gain the knowledge and abilities need to manage information, organize and maintain files, coordinate projects and learn bookkeeping and computer skills. This certificate program takes just eight months to complete and includes the full range of courses you need to succeed as an entry-level administrative professional in many different office environments.

As a student, you’ll form strong connections with faculty and classmates to support your college experience and build your network. You’ll also gain on-the-job experience through a work placement in both the fall and spring semesters. The ability to use your?Administrative Office Professional?certificate as a starting point for a business diploma or degree is one of the strengths of this program. You can focus on building the skills you need for work right away, but also think of a long-term career at the same time.

Managing information has never been more important and information technology professionals are in demand,

• Installing applications,
• Designing complex computer networks,
• Developing information databases, and
• Managing systems.

Strong problem-solving and analytical skills are a must, as troubleshooting and helping others are vital aspects of the job. Additionally, since there is constant interaction with other computer personnel, customers, and employees on the job, IT specialists must be able to communicate effectively on paper, through email, and in person.

Complete the certificate in one year, or pursue the diploma, which has two majors:

• Software and Internet Development (two years)
• Technology Support (two years)

Our program is designed to be flexible. Students will select a major when they apply; however the first semester of the program is common to all so students have the opportunity to change their major at a later date.

A Co-op Program option enables highly motivated students to integrate their academic program with paid, relevant work experience in their chosen field. MHC’s IT programs incorporate all or part of the curriculum requirements for a number of industry certifications including

• A+,
• i-Net+,
• Network+, and
• various Microsoft Certifications.

The examinations for the respective certifications must still be written independently.

Your future success in business rests on the foundation of knowledge and skills you’ll build in the Business Administration Diploma program. This program offers you the opportunity to focus on your strength and career goals, with majors in Accounting, Financial Services, Hospitality & Tourism (pending government approval), Marketing, Management, and Administrative Office Professional. All students are admitted into a common first year before concentrating on a specific area through declaring a major in your second year.

Management students are prepared for entry-level positions in profit and non-profit organizations. Graduates may also choose to work for a small or family-owned business or to become an entrepreneur.

Your future success in business rests on the foundation of knowledge and skills you’ll build in the Business Administration Diploma program. This program offers you the opportunity to focus on your strength and career goals, with majors in Accounting, Financial Services, Hospitality & Tourism, Marketing, Management, and Administrative Office Professional. All students are admitted into a common first year before concentrating on a specific area through declaring a major in your second year.

Many of the courses completed in the Business Administration program may be used for credit towards a variety of professional designations and university programs. Students interested in these possibilities, please consult with the Business Administration Academic Advisor.

Hospitality and Tourism Management Program prepares students for entry-level designation management positions with opportunities to work in areas related to: Food and Beverage Management; Marketing; Front Office Procedures: Transportation; Tours and Ticketing.

The Sport and Event Marketing and Management diploma program is designed to prepare students for careers in a wide range of sport and event-related enterprises and activities. This program examines the industry from behind the scenes, looking at business and consumer relationships, leadership and promotions, as well as the organization and advancement of sporting and entertainment events. This is a 2-year program with five semesters, including a workplace integrated learning residency in the spring, designed for students to gain valuable professional experience through an internship as part of the educational experience. The program is designed for students who enjoy facing challenges, taking risks and initiative, dealing with the public, and being part of a sport-oriented team and organization. 

This innovative program has a practical and applied approach to learning through the use of simulations, case studies, and provides industry experience as well. Students will learn the application of marketing and management skills in the entertainment industry and will develop the skills to lead and manage sport and event careers and businesses, and gain insights into how successfully managed organizations should be designed and run. They will learn how marketing and management principles can develop the operations of sport and event organizations and how it is used by sponsors to enhance their brand and grow their organization. This program trains the next generation of leaders that will acquire the just-in-time knowledge, skills, and competencies needed to succeed in the sport and event industry and can lead to a career that is rewarding, exciting, and challenging

It has been widely recognized that the early years of a child’s life are essential for healthy development. Child care providers play an important role in this time of a child’s life and they need to have an understanding of working with children, families and communities. Child care providers are now being recognized and valued by both families and government more than ever, making this an ideal time to enter the field.  

In the Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) program, you will learn the importance of play in the lives of children, and our classes give you lots of hands-on learning opportunities. We play with art materials, story props, and science and math materials to better understand how children learn and how we can help teach them. Our program also gives you the opportunity to apply theory to practice every semester through a five-week practicum setting. You’ll be able to practice your communication skills, better understand child development, and provide developmentally appropriate programming for children.  

Our ELCC program will help you work with children in a variety of settings or move on to other educational programs. Many students have said our program helped them grow on a personal level and was very useful when they became parents themselves. Others have entered specialized areas of child care, or assumed leadership responsibilities in a variety of settings.  

MHC's new agroecology program provides you with the competencies required for producing food, forage, fiber, and fuel using sustainable methods. Courses within the program will prepare you with a range of knowledge in the three E’s:

• Environment,
• Economics, and
• Energy using systems theory.

Cultivating food for future generations, this program provides you the scientific knowledge to optimize interactions between plants, animals, humans and the environment to grow food with minimal impact to our world.

Whether you are a small-scale farmer, urban grower or entrepreneur, the agroecology diploma gives you exposure to a variety of topics preparing you to diversify your current operations or start a venture. Expand your knowledge in areas, such as:

• Holistic (Grazing) Management: A value-based decision-making framework that integrates all aspects of planning for social, economic, and environmental considerations.
• Mycoculture: Mushroom cultivation for food production, medicine, or other ecological applications.
• Permaculture: Principals which allow us to create a culture that can sustain and prosper for generations to come. It considers care for the planet, care for people and fair share.
• Rangelands: Ecosystems comprised of grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, wetlands, and deserts that are typically grazed by domestic livestock or wild animals.
• Vermiculture: The process of using worms to decompose organic food waste, turning the waste into a nutrient-rich material.
• Eco-system: A geographic area where plants, animals, and other organisms, as well as weather and landscape, work together to form a bubble of life.
• Systems thinking: A process of understanding how elements like air, water, energy, plants and animals influence one another to thrive.

This program meets the knowledge, technical skills, and performance competencies required for certification with the Alberta Institute of Agrologists as a registered Technologist in Agrology (RTAg). This program also maximizes transfer opportunities to universities offering sustainable agriculture programs.

Environmental reclamation is the returning of lands disturbed from mining, oil and gas activities, transportation, or logging back into either economically productive or natural habitats. As an environmental reclamation technician, you will provide the expertise and support to carry out the reclamation and re-vegetation of these disturbed lands.

Our two-year diploma program was designed by employers to include specific training essential for this career while focusing on the unique environmental conditions of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan. You will develop your skills and knowledge in

• Surveying and mapping,
• Water and soil studies,
• Botany and plant taxonomy,
• Agronomy,
• Weed control,
• Environmental assessment and monitoring,
• Environmental law,
• Legislation and
• Reclamation technologies.

Course-related field trips and fieldwork may take place on weekends or may require overnight travel. Participation in all activities related to field trips and fieldwork is mandatory.

On-the-job duties may include coordination of field activities for monitoring and sample collection, data analysis, development of reclamation plans, carrying out environmental assessments, researching the history of well-sites, completion of documents and reports, supervision or implementation of weed management measures, or providing technical support for erosion and sediment control.

At the conclusion of the program, you will undergo a 220-hour work experience practicum where you will put your learning into practice and build essential industry contacts. The environmental field is rapidly expanding and the demand for individuals with the required knowledge, skills and practical experience is increasing. Even during slowdowns in the oil and gas industry, the employment outlook for reclamation professionals remains strong.