A post-secondary program in human resources prepares students for entry level jobs in this discipline with organizations across all industries. Getting into a human resources college is the first step towards a rewarding career in this field.
1. Path to a Career in Human Resources Management
The greatest asset of any organization is its employees. Therefore, effective people
management is crucial to its success. It needs to have a system in place for the attraction,
recruitment, selection, and training, assessment, rewarding and retaining of employees,
while ensuring leadership development, cultural diversity management, and compliance
with employment laws and planning the placement of right people at the right job at the
right time.
Human resources management is one of the most important functions of any organization,
regardless of its size, nature of business and area of operation. Therefore, organizations are
keen on hiring HR professionals who not only have expertise in human planning,
recruitment, selection, orientation, employee training and development, compensation and
benefits, employee and labour relations and human resources management systems but
also possess in-depth understanding of all of the business functions. They prefer hiring
professionals who can align human resources with the strategic goals and objectives of the
organization.
This means that HR professionals are expected to possess skills to:
Design HR policies and programs that comply with employment legislation
Manage cultural diversity
Attract, select, develop and retain a productive workforce
Ensure occupational health and safety
Promote positive management and union relations
Manage information and support decision-making
Motivate people to achieve their personal and organizational goals
Path to a Career in Human Resources
The path to a rewarding career in human resources begins from obtaining formal education
and training in this discipline. Applying to a human resources college and enrolling in a
business administration – human resources (co-op) is the first towards it. The post-
secondary course gives you a good overview of business, specialized knowledge in human
resources management, micro-computer training in popular business software, such as
Excel, Access and SAP and hands-on experience through a paid co-op component.
Centennial College’s three-year program in human resources covers basic business
administration subjects in first three semesters. You will study courses, including strategies
for business success, fundamentals of business, and mathematics of finance, financial
accounting concepts, business operations, business communications and principles of
microeconomics, human resource management, international business concepts and
principles of marketing.
2. The next three semesters focus on specialized HR education and cover a wide range of
subjects, including organizational behaviour, business analysis, managerial accounting for
HRM, payroll, business ethics, recruitment and selection, employment law, human
resources management systems, human resource planning, labour relations, occupational
health and safety, compensation and benefits and employee training and development.
The program also includes three paid work terms, allowing you to apply your classroom
learning into practice and gain relevant contacts that can be used as references in future.
Moreover, you gain an understanding of how organizations operate and what employers
expect from you as an HR professional.
Eligibility Criteria
In order to be eligible to apply to this program, you will need:
Secondary school diploma certificate or equivalent, or mature student status (19
years or older)
Required minimum score in English Grade 12 C or University, or equivalent
Required minimum score in Math Grade 11 M or 12 C or University or equivalent