You've launched your career and now its time to sharpen your skills. But how can you expand your work horizons without sacrificing a manageable work/life balance?
Excellent options can be found in short term, micro-credential programs offered by many universities.
When you need to respond to a quickly changing work role, get back into the workforce, or transition to a new position, micro-credentials offer a fast and flexible way to upskill or reskill and remain competitive in your field. Designed for professionals in a variety of industries, they offer a balance of theory and hands-on practice to meet up-to-date skill development needs to move your career forward. To maximize your career opportunities and stay in touch with the diverse landscape of new methods and technologies, the benefits of specialized training are key. This is where short-term, micro-credential training can make a real difference in getting you to your long-term career goals.
Micro-credential programs that offer a Professional Specialization Certificate (PSC) provide practical, applied skills training and flexible delivery options so that you can balance your work commitments and career advancement needs at the same time. In many cases, such specialized training can offer direct benefits to your current work projects through instructor mentorship, peer review work and practice-based skill applications.
Wendy de Gomez, a Capital Planning Analyst, took one such program, the PSC in Population Health Data Analysis (PHDA), offered through Continuing Studies at UVic in partnership with Population Data BC. She credits the program with helping her get ahead in her career.
"Over the time it took me to finish the program, I had three different jobs. All of them have been contract positions, and I believe the data analysis and mapping skills have helped me to be employable in each situation. All the courses have supported my knowledge, skills, and confidence to use data more effectively. In particular, the way I approach the organization, structure and use of data has benefitted my work in many ways."
Because micro-credential, PSC programs like PHDA are specifically designed for working professionals, they take into consideration the need for online flexibility; compact, real-world training, and they tend to incorporate a collaborative professional environment.
Sarah Costa, a Health Economist with the Canadian Centre for Applied Research in Cancer Control, BC Cancer Agency, found the collegial learning environment a very positive element of the PHDA program.
"I found a strength of the program to be the engagement of the other students, who are usually all from diverse backgrounds with varying levels of experience with the content. It was helpful to learn from each other. The workload was also quite manageable for those who are working full-time in addition to the courses. The teachers were knowledgeable and passionate about the topics and were willing to help students answer their questions or provide assistance for the course projects."
For professionals working in the health and social science field, the PSC in Population Health Data Analysis program offers:
- A focussed, compact credential that both complements and enhances previous training and education
- The flexibility of an online learning environment, meaning the program can be completed from anywhere, and works around existing work and family commitments
- Applied data analysis skills and techniques upgrading, achieved through the completion of just four courses
For more information
Read about the experiences of other PHDA graduates and to view the program details, visit the PSC in Population Health Data Analysis webpage. We are also holding FREE WEBINARS to find out if the PHDA program is right for you.
