Professionals looking to advance their careers either within their own organization or through a new opportunity often face the difficult challenge of gaining the required credentials and education necessary for such a jump. With the competitiveness of the current job market, additional education can be the difference between a major promotion and not.
Balancing school with professional and personal obligations can be difficult, and in some cases is too great of a barrier. York University’s School of Continuing Studies has stepped up to ease this concern, launching a new program specifically designed to help professionals gain the business acumen needed in as little as nine months through an innovative and flexible online learning platform. This is faster than any other comparable online business program. In less than a year you can be qualified for new and exciting career opportunities.
Students will gain a grounding in business fundamentals and develop a working knowledge of Risk Management, Project Management or Business Communications with courses taught by York University academics, senior industry executives and important thought leaders.
Build on experience
Designed by an interdisciplinary mix of business leaders, the Certificate program offers an opportunity to supplement previous experience work experience with the theory that guides the best practices in business administration.
Lesley Moulas has spent over a decade building her career. She joined Greenwich Associates, a leading global provider of market intelligence and advisory services as a junior analyst and now serves as a vice-president of customer experience. For her, the program at York was about expanding her theoretical knowledge base to acquire the skills necessary to succeed.
“I’ve done a lot of great things, but I’ve done them in one organization and I felt this schooling would help hone in on certain skills,” Moulas said. “I’ve learned things that I just never knew, but in a theoretical way. I was looking less for the practical, because I feel I’ve been living it for the past twelve years.”
The program puts a strong emphasis on helping professionals build on the experience gathered in the workplace to help advance their career and gain valuable new skills applicable to the current business world.
“This certificate program is the perfect way for someone to learn fundamental business administration skills and combine it with work experience,” said Maurizio Bevilacqua, the Mayor of Vaughan and an Advisory Council Member for the Certificate Program. “It is great for professionals who are new or are aspiring to be in a management role and would like to learn core business functions.”
That blending of both theoretical and practical knowledge serves to ground the learnings and challenges students to bring all of their experiences to the table as they continue to grow. Moulas spoke about her first course in the program and the emphasis on case studies.
“I really enjoyed the case analysis. There were a lot of case studies, and it felt – as much we were applying our understanding of theory – it felt very practical, because we were looking at real, living organizations and I felt at often times that I was applying my practical knowledge and what I’ve learned through my years of experience, as well.”
More competition than ever
The way the world does business is changing, in nearly every field and industry. To truly succeed, an understanding of these changes and how to respond to them is crucial.
Dan Banko, creative director at Banko Media, spoke about the importance of business acumen for people across all sectors. People in the arts, for example, can better leverage their products with the skills gained in the program.
“As someone with an artistic background who has leveraged that creativity into a successful business, I cannot stress enough the importance of having fundamental business knowledge in order to turn artistic endeavours into business realities, to make a living.”
For Moulas, she realizes that in a more competitive landscape than ever before, taking the initiative to gain valuable skills not only helps you perform better, but also shows a commitment to improvement that’s important in career progression.
“It’s going to help close a gap for me, that I’ve always felt I’ve had, lacking formal business education. I’ve done professional certifications in my industry, but to me, I still felt like I had a bit of a gap. Closing this gap, I feel ultimately will help build my confidence, or continue to build my confidence,” she said. “In addition to that, as I continue to build my career, it is going to show evidence that I am passionate about learning, and a motivated leader and that continuous improvement and development is important to me.”
Flexible and accessible
Because the entire program can be completed online, it’s truly designed with professionals in mind. It’s been created with the intention to allow students to balance a full-time career, professional and personal obligations all while obtaining a world-class education.
Being able to complete the program in just nine short months makes the course ideal for professionals looking to take on a more senior position in their own company, or who are looking to stand out in a sea of candidates as they look to build their career elsewhere.
The program is currently accepting registrations. Get more information here.
