Administrative Assistant Diploma

Program Overview

If you enjoy working with people, using computer applications, compiling and organizing information, performing administrative duties ranging from general office tasks to acting as a special assistant in any office environments, Administrative Professional Program (APP) is the right profession for you. Administrative Professionals perform a wide variety of clerical and administrative tasks such as scheduling appointments, word processing, bookkeeping and accounting, photocopying, filing and answering telephone calls and other correspondence. Administrative Professionals work in a variety of industries ranging from large corporations, small and medium-sized businesses, and non-profit groups to government departments. Administrative Professionals usually work standard office hours but sometimes may be required to work some evenings and weekends. Administrative Professionals are considered as the voice and face of the company so they need the following characteristics:

            •           good oral and written communication skills

            •           good interpersonal skills

            •           good organizational and time management skills

            •           the ability to work independently or as part of a team

            •           effective decision making skills

            •           the ability to demonstrate professionalism

            •           keen sense of initiative

Furthermore, they should enjoy working with people, using computer applications, and compiling and organizing information.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

This is a very broad filed but with a diploma from Glenbow College, you will be equipped with specialized skills and knowledge making you outstand among many other job seekers. You will have job opportunities with local and international organizations of any size. A career started here could end in management. Among many, some job titles are Office Administrator, Personal Assistance, Office Clerk and more.

Administrative Professional Program (APP) at Glenbow College is designed very well so that the  students can gain a basic understanding of modern office procedures as well as the skills and confidence to obtain an entry-level administrative assistant position in a range of office environments. Administrative Professional Program (APP) at Glenbow College provides students with up to date software training to be competitive in a continuously changing field. Administrative Professional Program (APP) at Glenbow College has two tiers, theoretical and practical education.

Students at APP program will start with IT Literacy module providing students keyboarding, basic computer software and applications. Keyboarding and office software is the most important element of this module as it is a requirement for administrative professionals. The Keyboarding course gives students an introduction to the fundamentals of keyboarding for their office needs. This course will help the students reinforce their English language skills and develop their ability to key and compose information and develop the proper keyboarding techniques and skills. After this course, the students will develop both speed and accuracy while applying the proper keyboarding techniques. This is followed by the Office Management and Procedures module which is the most extensive module in the program for learning the fundamentals of today’s office management and procedures.  The third module is Business Documents and Communication. Although it seems to be a theoretical module, it is a practice based module with lots of applications in a virtual office environment. 

The rest of the program is as follows:                                                         

  • English for Office Communication                                               
  • Financial Office Activities                                                                
  • Readiness for Career
  • Practicum

PROGRAM DURATION

Theory on site 280 hours.

Practice at workplace (Co-op Work Experience) 100 hours

PROGRAM ACCREDITATION

Administrative Professional Program (APP) at Glenbow College is licensed under the Private Career Colleges Branch of Alberta Advanced Education. Find out more by visiting the Government of Alberta website.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

An Alberta Secondary School Diploma or equivalent (supported by transcript)*; or be at least 18 years of age or older and pass an entry test

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Administrative Professionals (many times called “administrative assistants”) may be employed in any industry. Some are self-employed and work from home as virtual assistants. Experienced administrative assistants may advance from routine clerical tasks to a skilled specialty or to supervision of other office assistants.

Administrative assistants are part of the larger 2011 National Occupational Classification 1411: General office clerks. In Alberta, 77% of people employed in this classification work in the following industries:

The employment outlook in this occupation will be influenced by a wide variety of factors including:

  • trends and events affecting overall employment (especially in the industries listed above)
  • location in Alberta
  • employment turnover (work opportunities generated by people leaving existing positions)
  • occupational growth (work opportunities resulting from the creation of new positions that never existed before)
  • size of the occupation.

Over 4,500 Albertans are employed in the General office clerks occupational group. This group is expected to have an average annual growth of 1.7% from 2016 to 2020. As a result, 77 new positions are forecast to be created each year, in addition to job openings created by employment turnover. Note: As administrative assistants form only a part of this larger occupational group, only some of these newly created positions will be for administrative assistants.

Employment turnover is expected to increase as members of the baby boom generation retire over the next few years.

WAGE & SALARY

Wages*Low (5th percentile)High (95th percentile)AverageMedian
Starting$14.81$29.49$22.38$22.56
Overall$17.73$37.44$26.49$25.37
Top$19.20$44.28$30.32$28.62

* All wage estimates are hourly except where otherwise indicated. Wages and salaries do not include overtime hours, tips, benefits, profit shares, bonuses (unrelated to production) and other forms of compensation..

Source:https://alis.alberta.ca/occinfo/occupations-in-alberta/occupation-profiles/administrative-assistant/ (Accessed: July 19, 2019)

GLENBOW COLLEGE DIFFERENCE

Administrative Professional Program (APP) at Glenbow College is designed in a unique way for equipping students with required skills they will need in their future profession. Administrative Professional Program (APP) at Glenbow College is 30% theory and 70% practice for providing more real work life experience to students. At Glenbow College, we have continuous enrolment during the year so you can start whenever you feel ready. We believe that Practice Makes Perfect so we have 100 hours of practice opportunity for our students. Glenbow College gives you an opportunity to study a certificate program directly related to your career in the future. While studying your major diploma program at Glenbow College, accelerate or expand your career with an extra certificate in Project Management Program which will be a great asset for you upon graduation. Personalized support is offered at Glenbow College in the form of ongoing career services, resume writing, job interview techniques, employment referrals and introductions and job search assistance and much more. Don’t settle with less while you can have more at Glenbow College. International practicum*opportunity for new beginnings and endless possibilities is waiting for you at Glenbow College. Book an information session to learn the unique opportunities and different schedule options waiting for you at Glenbow College.