Diploma in Social Service Worker in Gerontology

at Seneca College - King Campus Canada

Canada now has more people over age 65 than any other age group and there is a great need for skilled and trained professionals to work with older adults. This two-year diploma program combines the knowledge, professional values and skill sets of social service to assist older adults to maintain independence and a good quality of life. The program focuses on a holistic strength-based approach, current legislation and best practices.

Along with your studies in mandated government initiatives and service delivery models for working with seniors, you will have the opportunity to apply your knowledge infield placement and participate in additional educational training. As a student you will engage in personal reflection and growth, work within a team, apply professional ethics, and successfully achieve the Ministry Vocational Learning outcomes so you are prepared to confidently enter the workforce.

Skills
Throughout this program you will develop the following skills:

• Therapeutic program planning
• Individual and group modes of facilitation
• Interventions with clients, families and significant others
• Service coordination and navigation
• Interpersonal communications skills related to working with bereavement and grief
• Assessment of client’s needs and strengths
• Advocacy

Field Work
As a student of this program, if you meet all the academic requirements, you will have the opportunity to participate in a field placement. You will work in a professional capacity and will be evaluated on the basis of an approved three–part learning contract as agreed by you, the approved fieldwork agency and the Seneca SSWG program. With the support and assistance from your professor, you will play an active role in securing your placement.

Fieldwork days are typically:

• Equivalent of two full days per week in semesters two, three and four
• Full week block placements as scheduled throughout the program duration
• One placement at a residential setting and one placement at a community agency which provides services to seniors

This eight-month certificate program will provide you with principles and skills to effectively manage the public and work in emergency services and perform under stressful conditions. An emergency services communicator is often the first person involved in responding to members of the public during times of distress and crisis. Your training will combine professional knowledge and practical scenarios, including utilizing Hexagon’s industry-leading Computer-Aided Dispatch System (I-CAD) system. You will learn how to record and analyze data received from calls, and how this critical information can direct the response to an incident. This program uses blended and online strategies across our curriculum to deliver innovative and flexible learning.

Upon completion of required hours and professional exams, you will have the opportunity to qualify for the Public Safety Telecommunicator certificate offered by the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO).

Graduates of Ontario Police Foundations programs are eligible to receive four courses as credit towards the 12 courses required for the certificate in Emergency Services Communications.

This two-year diploma program is the first of its kind in the GTA. It is uniquely designed to meet the growing need for enhanced workplace health and safety in every industry. You will develop strong foundational knowledge in health and safety to identify, manage and assess risks in various workplace settings. This program will also focus on the policies and procedures in the care and prevention practice. You will apply concepts and theories with practical experience in field placements and graduate with the skills needed to identify and report on safety and health conditions in the workplace.

Skills
Throughout this program you will develop the following skills:

• Develop and implement health and safety policies
• Develop and facilitate health and safety training
• Conduct accident investigations and emergency response plans

This one-year certificate program is designed to teach you how to effectively provide care and assistance to clients and families in order to live fulfilling lives in their communities and in institutions. As a student of this program, you will develop a broad range of abilities emphasizing value, true sensitivity and respect for the individuality of each client. You will also have the opportunity to participate in cross disciplinary and/or inter-professional learning opportunities with other members of the care and service team for example, Practical Nursing, Registered Nursing and Social Service Workers.

Skills
Throughout this program you will develop the following skills:

• Personal care and hygiene assistance
• Household and family management
• Meal preparation
• Medical assistance
• Palliative and restorative activities

Field Placement
As a student of this program, if you meet all the academic requirements, you will have the opportunity to participate in two field placements. Field placements are similar in length to an academic semester and typically involve full-time work hours that may be paid or unpaid.

The Personal Support Worker program will provide opportunities for experiential learning through the hands-on skills lab and 2 field placements (facility and community).

This rigorous and fast-paced program has been preparing commercial divers for a variety of industry careers for more than 45 years. That’s why contractors continue to contact Seneca looking for skilled graduates to work in offshore construction, salvage, inspection, offshore oil and gas exploration, and production.

In this 35-week program, you will dive to a maximum of 50 metres (165 feet), led by Seneca’s Unrestricted Surface Supplied Supervisors, who have more than 100 years of combined commercial diving experience. Graduates will receive an internationally recognized certificate as an Unrestricted Surface Supplied Diver from the Diver Certification Board of Canada (DCBC).

Skills
Throughout this program you will develop the following skills:

• Commercial diving techniques
• Surface and underwater welding and cutting
• Construction and salvage work
• Underwater inspection and repair work related to the civil and offshore oil industry
• Safety and competently using equipment in open water
• Ability to assess the cause of pressure-related diseases and conditions

In this eight-month graduate certificate program, you will receive a combination of academic knowledge and hands-on training to pursue a dynamic career in public and private policing and investigations. With a focus on the development of advanced skills, you will be prepared for the challenges and rewards that come with investigations and law enforcement.

Seneca’s Advanced Investigation and Enforcement program uses hybrid and online strategies across our curriculum to deliver innovative and flexible learning focused on student needs, while also concentrating on the applied and professional skills needed for law enforcement and investigations (both public and private).

After successful completion of the first semester, you can apply for a training completion number. It will make you eligible to be tested, at your own expense, for the provincially regulated licence to be a private investigator. Additionally, by completing the Firearms Safety course, you will be eligible to apply for a Canadian Firearms License.

Seneca is the first college to offer this four-year specialized degree program in the growing field of community mental health.  Students will study a range of essential topics to gain foundational knowledge in theoretical interventions and social determinants by focusing on health science, psychology and social work from both a practical and theoretical standpoint.

The World Health Organization has established there is an overwhelming worldwide human resource shortage in community mental health. One-fifth of Canadians will personally experience mental illness in their lifetime and in Ontario one in five children and youth under the age of 17 has a mental health challenge. Mental health problems are predicted to increase by over 50% internationally by the year 2020.

Skills
Throughout this program you will develop the following skills:

• Analytical, conceptual and critical thinking skills
• Ability to challenge the status quo
• Problem-solving skills
• Professional expertise in order to assess community needs, plan, educate and administer recovery-oriented support services

Mandatory Degree Work Term
A work experience that includes at least one term in a formal work environment. The work term(s) may be a paid or unpaid position that is completed between two academic semesters and requires a minimum of 420 hours of work. Students must be in good standing and meet all identified requirements prior to participating in the work experience. The successful completion of the work term(s) is required for graduation. Eligibility for participation does not guarantee that a work position will be secured. Additional fees are required for the mandatory degree work term regardless of success in securing a work position.

This one-year certificate program is designed to provide you with the core knowledge, skills and abilities fundamental to academic success in health sciences and other high affinity programs. You will develop knowledge and skills in communications, mathematics, human anatomy, biology, and organic/inorganic chemistry. You will be well prepared to further your study in the health sciences at either the diploma or baccalaureate level. The program also provides you with the opportunity to learn about potential careers in the health sciences, and to identify other programs focusing on the biological or chemical sciences that will enable you to achieve your career objectives.

In this two-year diploma program you will gain the required knowledge and skills for the human service field and be challenged to examine your own values and beliefs to make a meaningful contribution to the profession. Your studies will include a range of topics in styles of lecture and tutorial-based, utilizing assigned texts which stress interpersonal skills, group dynamics, interviewing, counselling, relationship-building, community development and social policy. By combining your theoretical knowledge and field placement experiences you will also take part in a variety of classroom, seminar and experiential modalities. Upon graduation you will possess a comprehensive set of human service skills which are transferable to a wide range of settings and employment options.

Skills
Throughout this program you will develop the following skills:

• Counselling
• Effective membership and leadership in group settings
• Working with families
• Plan and evaluate programs
• Assess community resources
• Co-ordinate service delivery

Field Work
Over the course of your program, you will be required to complete a field work placement in a professional setting. This placement will help you explore roles in community, health, education and institutional environments. The minimum commitment is the successful completion of specific periods as set out in the field placement student contract. These periods are typically:

• The equivalent of two full days per week in semesters two, three and four
• Full week block placements as scheduled throughout the program duration

This three-year advanced diploma program will provide you with a full range of intervention, prevention and treatment strategies to facilitate a positive change for children, adolescents and families in need of emotional, social, developmental or mental health support. You will receive in-depth training and education in behavioural theories, practices and a foundational understanding of assessment, intervention, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and activities with children and youth.

Skills
Throughout the course of this advanced diploma program you will develop skills in:

• Prevention, intervention and treatment strategies
• Treatments, counselling and therapeutic theories
• Understanding in adolescent development, violence, child and youth management, diversity, therapeutic activities, group and family work

Field Placement
As a student of this program, if you meet all the academic requirements, you will have the opportunity to participate in approximately 1,200 hours of field placement during semesters 3 to 6 in a professional setting. Unpaid field placements will take place throughout semester 3, two days a week, while semester 4, 5 and 6 will take place three times a week.