I work at The Economical Insurance Group as a Resource Manager in the Information Technology Services department. As a Resource Manager some of the activities that I engage in with my direct reports are managing all aspects of Performance Management, evaluating individual and group training and development needs, workforce planning, managing employee relations issues, and leading recruitment and selection activities as vacancies occur.
Education is something that I have always made a high priority in any role I have had, whether it be mentoring, on-the-job, reading books, or more formal types of learning. Over the past five years I have enrolled in almost 20 courses at Conestoga and am currently enrolled in the final course of the Human Resources Management Certificate program and have completed approximately half of the courses on-line.
The on-line format has allowed me to continue taking courses at my pace and my convenience, which is great when you work full-time and have a young family.
I began the Human Resources Certificate shortly before moving into my current role. The way in which the certificate is designed is great. It begins with a general course on Human Resources, has a more focused course for each major topic area in Human Resources, and ends with a course focusing on Human Resource strategy as a whole. Personally, I have been able to take something specific from each course and apply it to my role. For example, the way in which we now evaluate employee training requests is based on a model taken from the Training and Development course. This new approach ensures that we look at each request in a way that ensures that both the individual and the organization benefit from the training and also allows us to prioritize training needs more effectively. This is but one example of how the courses in the Human Resources certificate program have helped me be more effective in my role and more valuable to my employer.
In addition to the knowledge gained, the HR Certificate program is preparing me to write my Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) exam in the Spring. Since I began the program, the CHRP program has been modified and Conestoga has responded by re-aligning their certificate to allow students to meet the new requirements to write the CHRP. The College has also recently introduced a few new Human Resources certificate programs, such as a benefits specialist and compensation specialist program. These programs will surely be very beneficial in ensuring that HR professionals in the area can continue to develop their skills and knowledge in specific areas of Human Resources.
Martin Durocher BBA, RPR
Resource Manager, The Economical Insurance Group Information Technology
Services.