A group of Conestoga Human Resources Management graduate certificate students finished first place in a case competition hosted by the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) through its Toronto chapter on March 20.
A group of Conestoga Human Resources Management students finished first place in a case competition hosted by the Human Resources Professionals Association.
The annual competition, held virtually this year, provides an opportunity for students to put their problem-solving skills to the test, get feedback from experienced HR leaders and gain insights into common HR business challenges.
The Conestoga team included Tara Eykens, Katie Hansen, Chanel Oakes, Jessica Reed and Shannon Robinson who were among the students representing universities and colleges across Ontario.
“I was looking at the HRPA website for additional opportunities for networking and growth and came across the case competition,” said Hansen. “We decided to enter as a way to challenge ourselves and apply the knowledge learned throughout the program.”
During the competition, teams were given 90 minutes to read a 13-page case study, develop a solution and create a PowerPoint presentation to present to a panel of judges comprised of six senior HR leaders who scored the students’ proposed strategies. The case involved a large company with several locations that was experiencing high turnover as a result of poor management practices.
“The future of many organizations depends on responding to changes in dynamic environments,” said Boski Verma, event organizer and HRPA’s manager of Student Volunteer and Engagement. “As future professionals, this competition serves as the catalyst for ensuring students can thrive in any business environment.”
The Conestoga team said several case studies drawn from their program prepared them for the competition. They used an Ivey case method taught in their Organizational Effectiveness course to analyze the case and develop recommendations and an implementation plan, and noted there were other course concepts they were able to tie in including employee motivation, types of feedback and strategy.
Hansen said the team was also grateful that faculty members Dorothy Milardovic and Heather Ross attended the virtual event to lend support on competition day.
Courses in Conestoga’s Human Resources Management graduate certificate program are based on the Human Resources Professionals Association competency framework and meet the academic requirements for the HRPA designation. The optional co-op stream includes one co-op work term.