Human Resources Program Takes a Realistic Approach

Human resources (HR) is a vital department of any company. The professionals who work in this field must strive to balance the strategic goals and objectives of a company with those of its employees in order to become a tactical partner of the organization’s management department. As such, HR professionals’ tasks include recruiting and interviewing potential employees; developing and implementing policies, procedures and programs to ensure that employees understand their roles; ensuring that employees are satisfied with their positions so that turn-over rates are kept to a minimum and much more.

Centennial College facilitates a Human Resources college program (known officially as Business Administration – Human Resources Co-op), which offers students an in-depth, three-year exploration into the field. The offering results in an Ontario College Diploma and, thanks to its proactive structure, the know-how for students to enter the field upon graduation.

Admission: Each Centennial College program has its own set of requirements that students must meet to be considered for admission. This offering requires students to have completed their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent, or have mature student status (19 years or older); English Grade 12 C or U, or equivalent or take the Centennial College English Skills Assessment for Admission; and Mathematics Grade 11 or 12 C, M or U, or equivalent or   take a Centennial College Math Skills Assessment for Admission.

Topics: The program begins by giving students an overview of business that is common for many Centennial College School of Business programs. This is an opportunity for students to not only gain a solid base but also to determine whether this offering is the right one for them. When students move onto more specialized courses, they are exposed to the entire range of HR functions: human planning, recruitment, selection, orientation, employee training and development, occupational health and safety, compensation and benefits, employee relations, labour relations and human resource management systems.

Practicality: To ensure that students are retaining the information that is presented to them, each courses contains some sort of hands-on aspect. For example, students receive microcomputer training in popular business software such as Excel, Access and SAP. Additionally, students work on projects and group presentations that further enhance the hands-on aspects.

Co-op: The standout feature of this offering is co-op, which occurs thrice during the students’ time in the offering. The first co-op placement is between the third and fourth semesters, the second is between the fourth and fifth semesters and the final is between the fifth and sixth semesters. During this time, students are essentially employees in the field — networking, taking orders from their employers, applying what they have learned and gaining new knowledge.

Post-Graduate Possibilities: Not only are students fully prepared to launch HR careers, they may also continue their education thanks to educational partnerships that Centennial College has established with articulated program in selected universities, institutes and professional associations. These partnerships allow graduates to apply academic credit towards further study and include: Ryerson University, Laurentian University, University of New Brunswick, University of Windsor and a range of others.