HR a growth industry

Author: Michele Lawson

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Georgian College graduate Rachel Lochhead (pictured at left) is now a York Region recruiter and current member of the Barrie and District Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA). She not only won the 2008 provincial HRPA Scholarship Award (as presented here by a sponsor representative from The Bagg Group), but also the local chapter’s annual student award as well.

The relatively new field of human resources (HR) is being forecast by government projections as a growth industry and Georgian College is poised to rise to the challenge, says Ruthanne Krant, program coordinator for the college’s full-time HR programs. In addition to the college’s three distinct programs, its university partnership with Laurentian University also offers a degree option. “It’s like a ladder,” says Krant of the flexible and progressive educational structure that accommodates mature students with full-time jobs, university graduates interested in focusing their careers, and “those individuals looking for their first post-secondary credentials.” The Certificate of Achievement in Human Resources Studies consists of six courses offered through the school’s continuing education program. The Human Resources Management Graduate Certificate, however, is a one-year full-time intensive course of study that builds on an existing post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree. This option has just added a second intake in January to handle the increased demand from interested students. “We have to be careful of our paid placements, because we don’t want to saturate the market,” says Krant. “We have to try to balance it, but so far the students are still marketable commodities.” The college’s three-year Business Administration – Human Resources Advanced Diploma (BAHR) is also now accepting students for a January 2010 start date. Intended as a full-time program, most required BAHR courses are also offered at night or on-line to support the work and life schedules of its many students. The paid industry co-op terms are a distinguishing characteristic of the programs in Barrie, says Krant, and a unique advantage for Georgian students. The graduate certificate program includes one work term, while the BAHR diploma includes three on-site placements, including two consecutive stints for students preferring eight months of continuous employment. “Georgian boasts a very strong relationship with local and regional employers,” she continues. Not only do they hire program graduates and contribute to the highest graduate placement rate in the country (which Georgian has captured once again), many industry professionals volunteer as guest speakers, research subjects and on the program advisory board that helps to keep the curricula current. “We create the opportunity for students to interview HR professionals,” says Krant. “One example is in a recruitment and selection course. Students have to go talk to someone for a course assignment (they are usually matched with program graduates), so they can compare what’s taught out of a textbook and in the classroom, with what really happens on a day-to-day basis in the industry.” Representatives from Barrie’s Royal Victoria Hospital, Orillia’s Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital, General Mills in Midland and Casino Rama are a few of the 22 participating companies on the board. “Today’s human resources professionals are managers of change, assisting employers and employees with the modern challenges of the workplace,” states the promotional flyer for the college’s three distinct HR programs. There’s no doubt the current workplace offers unprecedented business challenges, says Krant. Since the discipline was officially recognized in 1991 with a professional designation (which is not currently mandatory), it has really come into its own, she adds. “HR is a business function first and foremost,” she explains. It incorporates financing, budgeting and law among its many facets. As such, preparing students to become strong generalists include providing them with the tools to understand such big-picture concepts as economic ebb and flow patterns, supply and demand, and the impact of changing demographics. “I think the students do come out with a strong understanding of those kinds of fluctuations that affect workforces and workplaces,” says Krant. Students wanting to specialize further can seek specialty certifications through continuing education programs in Health and Safety, Training and Development, and Compensation and Payroll Administration. For more information about all the HR studies available at or through Georgian College, call Krant at 705-728-1968, extension 1140.