The Education Ladder
Adding to your intelligence

By Janice Sawka

Business-specific studies are hot offerings in continuing education. For example, Susan Andree, program manager, School of Distance and Continuing Education at Red River College says, Were trying to build a knowledge economy. Business gives both theory and practice to help people perform better in the workplace.

Red River has offered The Human Resource Management Certificate Program, since 1983 and it sees about 800 registrations a year. The Management Development Certificate Program, offered for the past 23 years, typically sees 300 registrations annually. The core courses are basic business communications and principles of management. Electives cover topics such as training and development and values, ethics and issues in technology and society.

Certificates can be earned either full- or part-time, with courses available via traditional classroom instruction or distance education, by correspondence or online learning with teacher-student communication conducted via email. This has broadened the education field with intra-provincial education being offer from outside provincial boundaries such as Calgarys University of Athabasca whose MBA is taught online on a 24-hour clock except for some electives. The course averages about 800 students annually, the largest class in Canada, according to Chris McLeod, manager of marketing and alumni relations. The cost over three years is about $42,000. The course is designed for experienced managers and professionals.

In many jurisdictions contining education courses are tied to what a student needs to be a professional in the industry. Working industry professionals as instructors are highly valued because they are still active in the workplace.

Instructors give the benefit of their personal experience in the field, relating situations they have personally experienced: Whats happening now in compensation and performance management? What are the ramifications of the Employment Standards legislation changes.

Continuing education courses are held in high regard by the Manitoba business community. Enrolment has been steady for years, and the latest support statistics show that approximately 15% of part-time students have their employers pay directly for courses. About 26-27% of part-time students get their tuition paid back in full by their employers upon successful completion of the course.

Kim Loeb, Program Director of Professional Studies at the University of Winnipeg, says that HR studies is the `New Management.

Its a huge area, and also a great general diploma for managers in a flatter organizational structure, with a broader range of tasks, she says.

Management Certificate Program at the U of W has been offered since 1992, and underwent its latest major revision in 2006. Students must complete eight courses plus five one and two-day business seminars, to pass.

The Human Resource Management Diploma, formerly a subset of the Management Certificate, has been a separate, and greatly expanded, course since 2003. It was also revised in 2006. Students must complete thirteen courses plus five one and two-day business seminars, to pass. The Management Certificate is a general certificate covering essential workplace skills.

Loeb Says, the management course prepares you as an entry - to mid-level manager.

The HR Management Diploma goes up to the next level, she says.

While only nine per cent of part-time students get their tuition partially paid back by their employers that is changing according to Loeb.

Were getting a lot more requests from businesses and employers regarding support for their employees, Loeb says. In class, students can `cross pollinate with other working professionals, and apply the resulting knowledge to their own company right awayemployers realize the value of training their staff.

Maureen MacDonald, University of Manitoba Director of Continuing Education says business courses there, especially human resource training, has a long pedigree.

Weve offered it, in one form or another, since the 1960s, she says.

A certificate in financial management and accounting at the U of M had 215 registrations last year, and is expecting comparable numbers for 2007-2008.

It is aimed at those with no previous formal training in accounting, or those with lower-level accounting functions in their workplace, such as accounts payable and receiving clerks. About 75% of FMA students say they are taking the program for career advancement.

A certificate in human resource management at the U of M is expecting 1010 enrolments for 2007-2008, comparable to last year. Students must successfully complete eight courses (seven core and one elective, chosen from a selection of six) to pass. The program was most recently revised in 2006, to align with the National Standards of Practice as defined core competencies of the Canadian Council of Human Resources Associations. It provides some of the foundational content needed to pursue the CHRP designation. Representatives of HRMAM sit on the University HR management advisory committee.

Courses are available via classroom, and independent study (correspondence and email). In January 2008, a new option, Blended learning (combination of classroom and correspondence) will be added, with the goal to allow a wider group access to education.

They key issues facing business today are mainly HR issues, demographics in the workforce, how to handle people leaving, how to hire suitable replacements, not enough skilled workers for jobs, how strategic decisions can impact the workforce, how the workforce can impact strategic decisions, and the inclusion of HR at the executive table. And business relies on its [financial] resources: Imperative functionality is the effective use of those resources, and the ability to keep track of financial perspectives.

The MBA.

Three letters. One degree. Currently obtainable for 600 hours of classroom instruction (60 university credit hours), at a cost of approximately $19,000.

Stephen James, Executive Director, Asper MBA, says having a Masters of Business Administration used to be a competitive advantage in applying for executive positions; now its essential.

It provides the ability to run a business, through building an understanding of the relationship between producing, selling and financing a product, and staffing an organization.

Thats why the MBA is the most popular Masters Degree in North America, and one of the most versatile for career change.

The Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba Faculty of Management offers an accelerated , intensive full-time MBA program, in which students can earn the degree in 12 months. Part-time study is also available, as is a combination of the two.

And if you want something more special you can learn how international business practitioners get the practical skills requirements needed to build successful careers on the global stage.

Caroline Tompkins, President of FITT, which offers the program, says, trade isnt just about the exchange of goods its also about international business relationships and skills, and Canadians need to build these skills to boost their competitive edge.

FITT (Forum for International Trade Training) was established in 1992 to address the need for certification and top-quality training programs in global business. FITT has become the leading organization in the world to accredit a professional designation the Certified International Trade Professional (CITP).

Its curriculum development has been built over a decade of success, according to Tompkins. The attainment of the CITP designation is proof that the student has met rigorous standards established by a recognized certifying body.

With a wide variety of educational possibilities available today, the knowledge revolution is alive and well. While it may be difficult for young or mature people to decide which path they would like to travel, their choices and end results are more than they have ever been. Its just a matter of time and money well spent. MBM (Janice Sawka is a freelance writer based in Winnipeg)