Post-Diploma Certificate in Mental Health Recovery Practitioner

at NorQuest College - Edmonton Campus Canada

The Disability Studies program is a two-year diploma that will develop the skills needed to effectively work in supporting individuals with disabilities across their lifespan. Individuals with developmental disabilities need support in early intervention, community settings, schools, recreation, and employment opportunities. A skilled workforce is needed to help people with disabilities achieve their goals and effectively participate as members of the community.

Disability service workers can work in a family or community setting in teams or independently to support individuals and their families. Graduates will create, implement, assess and modify plans to help utilize individuals’ strengths and abilities to increase avenues for meaningful participation in the community and society.

The Machine Learning Analyst diploma program provides a flexible, industry-aligned education to help you enter the artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) workforce.

This program will prepare you for entry-level jobs creating business solutions for companies of all sizes. The program focuses on developing fundamental skills in AI and ML, such as data analytics and computer programming, and will help provide you with fundamental business acumen so you can work in multi-disciplinary teams to develop competitive business solutions that are based on modern strategies.

This program was developed as part of the Alberta AI Pathways Partnership. Through this partnership, the program prepares you for AI-related careers through a work-integrated project course where you work on real-world ML problems with local businesses, while also developing a portfolio to prepare for employment.

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.  

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.

Build the skills you need to thrive in a dynamic business world and choose from five specializations in the second year—Management (entrepreneurship or business operations), Accounting, Human Resources Management, Finance, or General Studies—in which you will develop a core understanding of business fundamentals for any career you choose.

Specialization
Applicants can apply directly to the specialization of their choice. Specialization courses are usually taken in year two.
There are five specializations for the Business Administration program; each provides a flexible and dynamic core understanding of business fundamentals with a wide assortment of job opportunities:

Accounting specialization
Graduates with an accounting specialization have an aptitude for numbers and enjoy problem-solving. They are able to look at the overall big picture while determining the bottom line. They are prepared to work with companies in financial, computerized tax, and cost accounting areas.

Human Resources Management specialization
Graduates with a human resources management specialization will know how to improve corporate culture and increase employee productivity. They will be confident in creating performance management policies, employing effective hiring and retention practices, reviewing and recommending employee compensation packages, creating hiring selection criteria, and applying employment law.

Management specialization
Graduates with a management specialization are becoming increasingly important to business in our competitive economy due to their strategic planning and analytical skills. They assist companies in integrating planning and development strategies using problem-solving techniques and consensus building. Leadership, marketing, and financial information are also studied.

• Entrepreneurship focus: for students who are interested in starting a business of their own or who wish to help a newly formed business grow. It provides a thorough understanding of what is required to start and maintain a sustainable venture. Students will acquire the tools necessary to identify opportunity, assess entrepreneurial potential, produce a business plan, organize, promote, and finance a business, and prepare a marketing and sales structure.
• Business operations focus: for students who are interested in how businesses supply, produce, and distribute goods and services in the most efficient and profitable way possible. Students will learn how to plan, control, and optimize business systems and techniques to deliver projects on time and on budget. Learning how to assess and improve productivity throughout an organization will make these graduates a valuable asset to any organization.

Finance specialization
Graduates with a finance specialization will be well positioned for work opportunities in banks and any financial services organization. As a financial professional, this program prepares students in the areas of financial planning, principles and industry standards, financial products and services, tax and legal implications, managing risks, and building financial customer service sales and expertise.

• Financial services focus: for students who are interested in securing a role in a bank where they can serve customer needs for saving and borrowing. Students will learn principles of personal finance and banking including consumer and business lending, credit management and financial services selling and ethics.
• Financial planning focus: for students who are interested in helping people achieve their financial goals. Students will gain technical knowledge in personal financial planning, Canadian investment funds, insurance and taxation

General Studies
Students may elect not to have an area of specialization. These students would take the common first-year courses, then choose 10 additional courses out of all Year 2 courses offered.

Practicum/Work Experience
This program includes an optional paid co-op placement totalling 640 hours.

The Community Support Worker program is an eight-month certificate designed to develop fundamental knowledge, skills, and attitudes in students to work with marginalized communities and individuals. Graduates are expected to work at the front line of human-service delivery settings.

The following are some of the agencies and organizations that provide these services:

• Street work organizations
• Group homes
• Emergency shelters
• Settlement agencies
• Cultural organizations
• Child and family service agencies
• Indigenous service agencies
• Cultural societies
• Personal and in-home supports for persons with disabilities
• Services that support older adults

Practicum/Work Experience

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

The Mental Health Recovery Practitioner post-diploma certificate program provides health and human services professionals with the knowledge and skills to work with clients experiencing mental health 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. A key component of the program is work in labs and practicum. 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 a practicum totalling 120 hours and 15 hours of community service learning.

Environmental technicians provide an important service to society by helping protect and sustain the long-term health of our ecosystems. This two-year diploma program will prepare students for technical work in the environmental sector.

Students will gain the practical knowledge and skills needed to offer professional advice on a wide range of subjects, including: environmental impact assessment; hazardous and non-hazardous waste management; waste reduction and reuse strategies; air, soil, and water pollution prevention and monitoring; compliance auditing; and contaminated site investigation and remediation.

This skill set is based on an integrated, hands-on training program that gives graduates a good working knowledge of physical and life sciences, including general biology, ecology, toxicology, chemistry, physics, and statistics.

The program includes hands-on training in both laboratory and field settings. Students will also have the option of taking part in a co-operative work term. Following completion of the program, students will be eligible for designation as a certified technician.

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.

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.