Certificate in Community Support Worker

at NorQuest College - Edmonton Campus Canada

The Child and Youth Care program is designed to prepare students to support children and youth who have experienced social, behavioural, and emotional challenges. Focused on diversity, inclusion, and Indigenous culture, the program teaches students the foundational skills of child and youth care practice, as well as perspectives and strategies for supporting all children and youth in culturally respectful ways.

Students will learn the impact of physical and emotional experiences on youth and families and the importance and strength of diversity and difference, and developing professional practice. The program will train students for the child and youth care worker roles through theory-based courses and hands-on practicum experience.

Graduates will have the knowledge and skills to support children and youth in navigating lived experiences, including helping at-risk children and youth with family processes, access and success in education, physical and mental health, and addictions.

Practicum/Work Experience

• This program includes three practicums totalling 600 hours.

NorQuest College offers an approved and accredited two-year full-time Social Work diploma program with a multicultural focus. As its mission, the program emphasizes the value of human diversity and teaches the practice of social work within an anti-oppressive framework that is supportive and empowering.

As a social worker, you may have the ability to improve the quality of life for yourself and for others through self-reflection and offering resources, services, and opportunities for your prospective clients. In addition, you will be prepared to create social change through your work and professional activities.

Program themes include:

• Competency working in different cultures
• Social work practice that recognizes and deals with oppression
• Awareness of cultural displacement issues
• Awareness of personal abilities and resiliency
• Spirituality
• Community practice
• Holistic practice
• Practice in specialized settings

Students in the Social Work program can expect to develop knowledge and skills in the following areas:

• Social work foundations
• The helping process
• Social policy
• Assessment and interviewing
• Social work models and practice
• Working with groups
• Working with families and communities
• Mental health
• Abuse, violence, and addictions

The Social Work diploma program teaches students the value of human diversity in the context of Indigenous and multicultural knowledge and practices within an anti-oppressive and ethical framework that is supportive and empowering.

Practicum/Work Experience

• This program includes two practicums totalling 700 hours.

Business Analysis professionals play a vital role in helping organization create efficiencies, update processes, and modernize to meet the challenges of today. This is a non-credit program that issues a Professional Certificate upon successful completion of the courses and three-month work integrated learning component.

The Addictions Recovery Practitioner post-diploma certificate program provides health and human services professionals with the knowledge and skills to work with clients experiencing substance use and concurrent disorders. The program is offered in a flexible combination of online courses and live classroom instruction on evenings and weekends.

The program emphasizes acquisition of applied skills and best practices in direct client care, advocacy, ethics, and work with families and communities. The program builds upon students’ previous training and experience, and graduates are equipped to meet client and employer needs in a range of relevant settings.

Practicum/Work Experience

• This program includes 15 hours of community service learning.

Laddering Opportunities

• Upon completion of this program, you can continue your studies by taking one additional semester to receive certification in the Mental Health Recovery Practitioner program.
• Laddering opportunities are being explored for related diploma and degree programs within Alberta and across Canada.

The Early Learning and Child Care certificate program prepares graduates to provide quality child care in a wide variety of settings and to plan appropriate activities for the children in their care. Knowledge of child development, family dynamics, play, and program planning will equip you to support the healthy development of children through child-centred learning experiences.

Practicum/Work Experience

• This program includes two practicums totalling 400 hours.

Indigenous Studies Diploma program was approved by Advanced Education to launch in Fall 2021! NorQuest is proud to be the only post-secondary institution that offers this diploma in the Edmonton area and, in fact, in the province!

The Indigenous Studies name reflects on the subject of study that covers a wide range of Indigenous knowledge including culture, history, arts, and Indigenous ways of being and knowing. This diploma program offers learners the opportunity to broaden their understanding of the cultural, historical, social and political experiences of Indigenous peoples in Canada. 

Indigenous Studies is designed for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students to explore Indigenous ways of knowing and learning, treaties agreement, culture, and health and wellness. Students will be trained through experiential learning, land-based learning, and theory-based courses. 

The full-time diploma program will run over 6 terms and can be completed in 2 years of full-time study.
Students will be involved in experiential learning through a Land-Based Learning course in term 3 of the program. Through land-based teaching, learners will develop and experience Indigenous ways of knowing through storytelling, language, traditional teachings and personal reflection, to show the resilience of Indigenous people. 

In addition, the diploma offers students an optional Community Service Learning course in term 6. Students who choose this optional course will have a unique opportunity to get to know their community, to work with an Elder or Traditional Knowledge Keeper, and to participate in a range of activities that develop skills in critical thinking, leadership, ethical decision-making, social consciousness, community engagement, and governance. 

Graduates of the program will have the knowledge and skills to work with Indigenous peoples, communities, and organizations or to transfer to university to continue their education. 

Many of the courses are university transfer, allowing for course-by-course as well as block transfer agreements with universities across Alberta and beyond. 

Current understandings include a block transfer agreement with the University of Alberta’s Aboriginal Teacher Education Program (ATEP) and course-by-course transfer to their Bachelor of Arts, Native Studies program. Courses from this program will be available in Open Studies as well.  

Supply chain management is an increasingly important career as consumers have come to expect goods and services faster, with more convenience, and from anywhere in the world. This one-year professional certificate program is designed for individuals to complete post diploma or degree to prepare them for the various aspects of working in supply chain – including logistics, operations management, procurement, transportation, inventory & warehousing, bidding & contract management, global logistics, and business planning principles.

NorQuest College’s Justice diploma program is an interdisciplinary program that allows students to gain skills and knowledge across the spectrum of the justice field. It is a unique offering in the Edmonton region and in Alberta. The program offers broad education in the justice field that leads directly to a career as well as university transfer courses for laddering opportunities to university. Students will select from a variety of electives that are linked to areas such as diversity and inclusion, Indigenous justice, youth justice, law enforcement, and corrections.

Graduates will be prepared to explore a number of career options within the justice field and to work collaboratively with other justice professionals. Justice students will explore a broad range of skills important to a justice career including crisis intervention skills, health and wellness initiatives, and strategies for working with diverse groups of Canadians. Students have the option to focus on specific areas of interest, including youth work, corrections and law enforcement, Indigenous justice, advocacy, and many others.

The Educational Assistant program prepares students to work in educational and community settings. The program focuses on diversity and inclusion, training students to support children and youth with a variety of learning needs, and helping them to reach their potential.

By providing inclusive classroom learning and hands-on practicum experience, the program equips graduates with the knowledge, interpersonal, and practical skills to support students both one-on-one and in small group environments.

The program will train students to be an education assistant through inclusive classroom learning and hands-on practicum experience. Graduates will have the knowledge, interpersonal and practical skills to support students both one-on-one and in small group environments.

Practicum/Work Experience

• This program includes a 200-hour practicum and a 45-hour practicum seminar.

The Administrative Professional program equips you with the skills and knowledge you need to become an office professional in today’s business environment. You will learn essential office skills such as basic accounting, software applications, event management, and business communication.

Today's administrative professionals are often the voice and face of the company. They must be dynamic and able to actively lead the crucial day-to-day functions of an organization. They are able to make decisions, multi-task, solve issues, understand technology, communicate effectively, and operate an efficient office, no matter what the type of industry.

Students will explore innovative trends and practices while acquiring the skills and knowledge relevant to current and future industry needs. Our focus on a high standard of applied education prepares you to be in high demand for quality employment.

This program gives you the opportunity to achieve a career in less than a year, completing the program in five to nine months.

Student Success
Each course will take approximately 10 hours per week of time commitment to complete readings and homework in order to finish each course within 16 weeks. Take this into consideration when planning your course schedule. We do not offer extensions on assignments, tests or courses.

Practicum/Work Experience
This program includes 150 hours of optional field experience.