Police Foundations Opens the Doors to Protecting Your City

The jobs of professionals such as police officers, customs officers, security officers, and more are different but at their essence is the requirement to protect local communities, cities, provinces and, essentially, the country. While tasks vary, students only have to attend one program to get their foot in the door. That program is Centennial College's Police Foundations undertaking, which prepares its students to apply for positions with the Provincial Police Services, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Armed Forces and more.

Taking two years to complete and resulting in an Ontario College diploma, the program is facilitated through paramilitary training that helps students to develop discipline and deportment for the stringent field that they will enter. A large part of the program sees students attending courses that simulate real life and incorporate case studies for hands-on learning. These courses include: Canadian Criminal Justice System (assists students with becoming familiar with the three agencies of social control — the police, the courts and the correctional system — and how they relate to each other); Criminal Code and Policing Powers (allows students to understand and apply police responsibilities legislated on both federal and provincial levels of government); Crime Scene Management (enables students to analyze a crime scene and secure evidence for court proceedings); and more.

As a result of attending the Police Foundations program students are able to: document, prepare and assist in the presentation of court cases in compliance with criminal and provincial law, rules of evidence and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms; assess the use of police powers; initiate, promote and facilitate partnerships to meet community policing and security needs; apply fundamental concepts of political science, law and legislative policy making and public administration to the provision of police services; assess information-gathering skills used in basic investigative techniques; assess crisis intervention strategies; and develop strategies to assist crime victims.

The application process for Police Foundations involves the following. Applicants must possess at minimum an Ontario Secondary Diploma or equivalent or be 19 years of age or older. In addition, they must have compulsory English 12C or U credits or skills assessment or equivalent. English proficiency will also be considered and a program information session may be required. Applicants should also know that some program experiences might require a criminal reference check.

In addition to these standard Centennial College requirements there is a host of essential necessities that are typical in policing. Students should have no criminal record, must possess a valid driver's license with a clean driving record and must have valid first aid and/or CPR certification. In addition, there are physical requirements such as: vision checks, standard normal hearing, physical fitness and readiness for the Physical Readiness Evaluation for Police (PREP) test. Lastly, applicants for police services careers in Ontario must be able to pass a security clearance, background investigation and credit and reference checks. For full details, please check out Police Foundations admissions page.

Centennial College Police Foundations Program

Be the Change You Want to See as a Child and Youth Worker

"A lot of what attracts people to the Child and Youth Worker field is that they've had horrible situations and they want to change things," says Colleen Camps, a staff member in the Child and Youth Worker program at Centennial College. This statement may seem simple but it actually reveals a few important things about this Centennial College offering. First and foremost, the people who enter Child and Youth Work are compassionate and passionate. Secondly, they are out to change the way society currently handles children in distress.

Sue-Ann Williams, a student in the Centennial College Child and Youth Worker program had this to say: "There are three years of placement in this program, for each year you have a different placement. This enables you to see the different places you can work. I've learned a lot about therapy, behaviour, why kids or people in general behave the way they do. Some things that may seem like common sense before you come into the course, you realize there's a whole lot of theory and research behind it."

Sue-Ann makes some great points about the undertaking, but let's take a closer look. First and foremost, the program lasts three years and results in an Ontario College Advanced Diploma while ensuring students graduate with the principles, philosophies and characteristics of relational child and youth work practice such as co-creating relationships, working developmentally and understanding professional boundaries.

Those interested in attending the Child and Youth Worker program must have completed Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent or be 19 years of age or older. Also required are compulsory English 12C or U or skills assessment or equivalent. Lastly, English proficiency will be considered and a program admission session will be required. Possession of minimum admission requirements does not guarantee admission to the Child and Youth Worker program.

Centennial students benefit from a highly supportive faculty group, which has extensive teaching and field experience and works closely with students to develop their full potential. These faculty members lead a curriculum that is reviewed and revised annually to ensure that courses and assignments are based on current research and best practices. Current courses include: Developmental Issues in Childhood and Adolescence, Preparation for Professional Practice, Principles of Psychology, Counselling & Communication Skills, Introduction to the Family, Advocacy & Law in Children's Mental Health and more. In addition, supplemental training is provided in Understanding & Managing Aggressive Behaviour (UMAB).

As Sue-Ann mentioned, there are three placements during the Child and Youth Worker program. However, students must have a vulnerable sector criminal check prior to field placement. Certain criminal convictions will disallow placement in these agencies and program completion may not be possible. Students must also possess a standard first aid and heart saver AED (C) certification. Lastly for placement, a medical certificate of health is necessary to ensure freedom of communicable disease.

Video of Child and Youth Worker Program

Centennial College Offers Degree Programs at College Level

Having been established in 1966 as Ontario's first public college, Centennial College offers programs in business, communications, community and health studies, science and engineering technology, general arts, hospitality and transportation. It is also always on the cutting edge to ensure that it is keeping up with the demands of the times. One example of this is the offering of degree programs. These options are beneficial to those students who: don't think university is the right choice for them, can't afford university, want a way to prepare themselves for university while obtaining transferable credits, and more. The unique college degree programs at Centennial College provide students with a combination of theory and hands-on experience that you would normally obtain at university level.

As already mentioned, one of the options within Centennial College's degree programs is the ability to bridge to university-level studies. In fact, Centennial has joined forces with several universities to support students in completing a degree and diploma or certificate. Among these college degree program options are: Bachelor of Science Nursing, Applied Microbiology, Environmental Science and Technology, Journalism, New Media Studies, and Paramedicine.

If, however, you would prefer to complete your degree program studies at Centennial College, there are two options. The first is the Software Systems Design undertaking. This degree program incorporates a unique curriculum that has been praised by the Software Human Resource Council. It includes courses such as: Fundamentals of Business and Information Systems, English and Communication Skills, Logic and Problem-Solving Strategies, Computer Architecture, Website Design and Development, Financial Analysis, Operating Systems Fundamentals, and many others. Jobs for graduates of this program include software developers, software engineers, systems analysts, business analysts, Web application developers, IT project managers and computer programmers/ analysts.

The other degree program at Centennial College is the Computer and Communication Networks program, which results in a Bachelor of Applied Information Sciences Degree. Ontario has a critical need for networking professionals and Centennial College was selected by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities to deliver this program to address this demand. It is officially the only post-secondary institution in the province to offer a bachelor's degree program in Computer and Communication Networking. Courses include: Business Consulting (provides the learner with the ability to identify, explore, develop and evaluate consulting processes and activities that would arise from dealing with multinational corporations with extensive enterprise networks); Enterprise Network Design (students investigate and design a variety of enterprise network configurations. Special emphasis is given to modeling and simulating networks and using the most advanced computer tools); Advanced Switching and Routing (students explore the advanced mechanics of switches, routers and their associated protocols and algorithms. The advance-level concepts regarding LAN switching, WAN switching, IP routing technologies and routing protocols, are explored in much details and reinforced within an environment of hands on labs); and more. All of the courses within this college degree program are conducted in small classes, which ensure individual attention from the highly qualified, full-time faculty.

Payroll Management: A Crucial Aspect of Any Company

Fundamentals of Financial Accounting, Business Presentations, Payroll Compliances, Strategic Compensation, Human Resources Management in Canada, Contemporary Organizational Behaviour, Management Accounting for Human Resources, Pensions and Benefits, Payroll Systems and Fundamentals of Project Management: These are all of the courses covered in Centennial College’s Payroll Management program. The courses are a clear example of how this two-semester program makes students job-ready. Let’s take a closer look at other beneficial aspects of this Graduate Certificate offering.

“This is a two-semester program and it is 50 per cent courses supplied by the Canadian Payroll Association but taught here at the Progress Campus,” say Professor Dryden, who teaches in the program. “And 50 per cent courses developed by Centennial College. One of the key advantage of this program is that the graduate will have exposure not only to the technical aspect of the processes of payroll but they will also have a broad understanding of the management processes around payroll, compensation and be able to step confidently into an orientation with other professions that work with payroll, such as accounting.” That means students, upon graduation, can enter positions such as payroll clerks/ officers, payroll and benefits clerks/ administrators/ payroll accountants, human resource and payroll generalists, general accounting coordinator, and small business bookkeepers/accountants.

In addition to the benefits described by professor Dryden, this Payroll Management program uses teaching tools like: case studies, simulations and project-based learning, with a focus on developing project management, teamwork, report writing and presentation skills. Therefore, payroll system training is taught using an SAP application. It also stresses emerging trends and issues in payroll management, such as the use of promising technologies and changing legislative requirements.

Students completing this program will be eligible to receive the Payroll Compliance Practitioner (PCP) from the Canadian Payroll Association (CPA) subject to their joining the CPA and complying with its professional requirements. Registration in this will incur costs in addition to tuition.

To gain entry into Payroll Management, students must present an official transcript that demonstrates proof of successful completion of a post-secondary advanced diploma or degree program. In addition, they may be required to participate in an interview process, during which a transcript and resume review may be required. English proficiency will also be considered. Please note that if students are able to present a combination of partial post secondary education and relevant work experience, they may be considered. That is open to all disciplines. Lastly, students who wish to enroll in the following Canadian Payroll Association CPM level payroll courses, Introduction to Payroll Management (formerly Payroll Management Processes) and Applied Payroll Management (formerly Payroll Management Practices), “must meet a payroll experience prerequisite to register”. To satisfy this prerequisite, the student must have: “at least two years of experience being responsible for an organization’s payroll function, which includes being accountable to management for the accuracy of employees’ pay and all government statutory remittances, or equivalent experience, obtained in the past five years.”

Sales Management Program Combines Creativity And Business Skills

Excellent interpersonal skills, excellent listening and oral communication skills, self-directed, thrive under pressure, highly organized: If these words describe you, the Graduate Certificate program in Marketing – Sales and Account Management may be your route to career success. This sales management program takes just two semesters to complete and focuses on ensuring that students gain a solid foundation in the intricacies of acquiring and maintaining relationships with major client accounts.

Conducted out of Progress Campus — which is Centennial College’s largest campus, centrally located and houses many of the institutions business programs — this undertaking provides ample opportunity for networking. In addition, students can speak to their professors about industry opportunities as these professionals come from the sales management field with extensive experience in sales, negotiation and account management in the business-to-business realm.

An ideal balance between theory and hands-on learning is provided so that students are equipped with a wide range of skills upon graduation that will make them instantly employable. The undertaking extensively uses learner-centered approaches such as: role-playing, simulation and cases, with a focus on developing selling, negotiating and presentation skills. Hands-on training is also provided in using sales force automation software. Specific courses within the sales management program include: Case Analysis and Marketing Metrics, Fundamentals of Selling, Fundamentals of Project Management, B2B Marketing, Strategic Account Development, Sales and Account Management and others.

In order to graduate from the sales management program, students must maintain a C grade average and an overall GPA of 2.0. Once they receive their Ontario College Graduate Certificate, graduates of the sales management program walk away with enough knowledge to apply for a number of jobs. If, however, students would like to gain even more experience, an optional third semester internship in the Sales Account Management Program is available.

Those interested in applying to this sales management program must submit an official transcript demonstrating proof of successful completion of a post-secondary advanced diploma or degree program. They may also be required to conduct an interview with officials, submit a resume and undergo an English and/or math skills assessment. Centennial College will also consider applicants presenting a combination of partial post-secondary education and relevant work experience, open to all disciplines.

Upon sales management program graduation, students go onto have careers are: key account managers, account executives, commercial sales representatives, sales specialists, technical sales representatives, sales consultants, sales coordinators, inside sales representatives, territory sales representatives and more. Despite the different positions, essentially, the field of Marketing: Sales and Account Management involves acquiring and maintaining relationships with major client accounts of mid to large sized companies that have their own sales force. These companies range from ones who handle medical and dental technology to those offering software and pharmaceutical products.

Tourism and Travel Courses at Centennial College Open New Doors

“We train students to work in any aspect of the travel and tourism industry,” says Lisa Mohammed, coordinator of the Tourism and Travel program at Centennial College, which offers students a travel education. “Our curriculum is endorsed by the Canadian Institute of Travel Counselors and their exam is included in our program. We also do an international trip every year. So I think we’ve succeeded in giving students not just the theoretical knowledge but sort of the vocational knowledge as well, which is what college is all about. [After graduation], they can, for instance work, with a tour operator, they can work with a travel agency and more. Every Internet booking site you’ve got, you’ve got real people in the back, processing these requests. And they’re all travel professionals [like the ones we’re training here].”

While Mohammed does a great job of offering an overview of the travel tourism education that students can obtain in this one-year offering at Centennial College, let’s take a closer look at the details of the program. First and foremost, applicants are expected to present at minimum an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent or be 19 years of age or older. In addition, students should have completed the compulsory English 12C or U or skills assessment or equivalent. Please note that possession of minimum admission requirements does not guarantee admission into the program.

Once students are accepted, they will find a program full of Tourism And Travel Courses designed to prepare them to graduate with the proficiency that both Canadian and global employers are seeking. This includes in-depth knowledge of airline tariffs and ticketing, accommodation and ground transportation and the cruise industry. They will also have extensive world destination knowledge, including culture and heritage training, passport and visa requirements, travel security, customer sales and service, and much more. This is achieved through specific courses such as: World Geography for Tourism, Wholesale Tour Operators, Selling Cruises, Introduction to Computing, Sales and Marketing for the Travel Industry and much more.

In addition to their in-school learning, students’ tourism and travel education is rounded out by Centennial’s third semester, three-days-a-week internship, which will allow students to apply skills learned in-class, interact with professionals and network. Also offered is the optional international field trip, mentioned by Mohammed. This field trip is designed to provide exposure to all aspects of travel and have students get a taste of what the field will be like once they graduate.

Should they, however, wish to continue their travel and tourism education, qualified graduates may be eligible to participate in an articulated program with selected universities, institutes and professional associations. These partnerships allow graduates to apply academic credit towards further study. The partner of this particular program is University of New Brunswick. Please note that in order to graduate from with a tourism education from Centennial College, a minimum C grade is required.