Education

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS - WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2016 5 CONTINUING EDUCATION OFFERS: • Innovative programming • Instructors with industry experience • Flexible delivery options (in-class, online or on-site) • Hands-on learning and opportunities to gain practical skills • Industry-recognized certificates 204.694.1789 | CDE@RRC.CA | RRC.CA/CONED REGISTER NOW! Download or pick up your copy of the Winter 2017 Course Schedule. Visit rrc.ca/coned for more information. RED RIVER COLLEGE CONTINUING EDUCATION HR PROGRAM MOVES WITH INDUSTRY By Holli Moncrieff for the Free Press Ron Gauthier (left), chief executive officer of the Human Resource Management Association of Manitoba (HRMAM), and Angela Chotka, program manager of Applied Arts and Communications for RRC's School of Continuing Education. Photo by Darcy Finley Same program, bold new direction. Red River College (RRC) has been offering courses in human resource management since 1983, but as the industry changed, so has the program. Human Resource Management, available through RRC's School of Continuing Education, has a strong new focus on strategic human resources rather than just operational. "It's a broad program that covers a lot of the topics people would need in human resources, moving into strategic human resources (HR). Strategic human resources help an organization figure out what they need to do in order to recruit, train and maintain the right people," explains Angela Chotka, program manager of Applied Arts and Communications for RRC's School of Continuing Education. "They figure out how a company needs to position itself and what it needs to do going forward. HR is really growing and the way it's being practised is evolving. It's now a more strategic part of an organization." Strategic HR helps companies take a much more proactive approach rather than simply waiting and reacting to situations as they occur, says Ron Gauthier, CEO of the Human Resources Management Association of Manitoba (HRMAM). HRMAM is the exclusive certifying body in Manitoba for the national Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) designation. "HR professionals will be strategic partners in an organization, just like the CFO is," Gauthier says. "More businesses are seeing the need for an HR person, either in-house or on contract, regardless of the size of the organization." RRC has formed a new partnership with HRMAM that will help graduates with a 3.0 GPA or 70 per cent average accelerate their CPHR designation. "Those students will be able to waive the national knowledge exam to become a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) candidate," explains Gauthier. "Taking the RRC program is a significantly faster track to helping them get their designation." The part-time Human Resource Management program can take up to eight years to complete, but most students finish it within two. All courses except one elective are available online through distance learning, making the program accessible to students throughout Manitoba. Students will learn the fundamental components of an HR program, including staffing, recruitment, selection, compensation, training and development. They'll also examine current issues and industry trends, and labour relations, along with workplace safety and health. "Human Resource Management provides students with a clear path into a wide-ranging career, and in a short period of time, the students become very employable," Chotka says. "The program has been set up with a lot of flexibility — there are over 40 different elective courses to choose from, so there's a wide range of choice for the students." HR can be a great career for visionary thinkers who are skilled at negotiating and planning, Gauthier says. "HR professionals are planning for what's coming in the future and dealing with the issues that will be coming down the road. They're thinking forward and being part of the planning process," he adds. "HR improves employees, employers, workplaces and the community — that's what it's all about." A career in HR can be rewarding in other ways as well. A recent survey of HRMAM members revealed that over 21 per cent earn over $100,000 per year, while 56 per cent earn over $70,000. "There are so many areas of practice within HR, but I don't know that we've ever focused on strategic HR specifically," Chotka says. "The shift we're making benefits both students and employers." Since 2012, 320 people have graduated from the college's Human Resource Management program. To find out more, please visit RRC's website at me.rrc.mb.ca/Catalogue/ProgramInfo. aspx?ProgCode=HUMRP-CT&RegionCode=WPG. ❚

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