Introduction to Certificate in Business Essentials Co-op
Business has always been at the core of the development of any civilisation. With the world becoming a global village and the rapid changes in technology, the business world has become a dynamic place of even more complex transactions. It’s important to keep up with the strides being made in the financial world to succeed among scores of other qualified people. Business essentials certificate courses are an excellent way of gaining a foothold in the industry if you are from a different background. They are popular because they are shorter and cheaper than regular business degrees. If you are from a financial background, these courses brush up your existing skills and keep you updated with the latest changes in the business world. The Certificate in Business Essentials co-op from the Toronto School of Management (TSOM) is a short course that aims to provide you with rigorous training to solve issues in a business environment. The USP of the course is the co-op placement which gives you a hands-on experience in addition to classroom teaching.
  • The certification course lasts for approximately eight months. The total duration of the course consists of 12 weeks of classes with 12 weeks of co-op placement. The course lasts for 31 weeks including the scheduled breaks between the semesters. The course intakes are scheduled in January, March, May, July, September, and November.
     
  • To enrol in the diploma programme, you must fulfill the following requirements set by TSOM.
    1. A minimum age of 18 years
    2. A minimum IELTS score of 5.5 for non-native English speakers
    3. A high school diploma equivalent to Ontario Secondary School Diploma as certified by a recognised assessment service such as
      1. World Education Services (WES)
      2. Comparative Education Service, University of Toronto
      3. International Credential Assessment Service of Canada.
  • The course focuses on providing you the important components of a business and its management. The course consists of four modules covered in 240 hours of classroom teaching and a co-op placement of 240 hours for practical training. The course modules are mentioned below.
    1. Fundamentals of business communications: Communicating with other people and companies is an integral part of any business. Right from drafting business letters and merger statements to proposal presentations, you would need to interact with people on a daily business. This module helps in developing your written and verbal communication skills, presentation techniques, and interaction etiquettes required to function in a financial set-up.
    2. Managing financial resources: The goal of any company is to generate revenue and requires huge reserves of financial resources to run. Financial resources include capital, loan from the stock market, company shares, and the revenue generated. The module provides you with a broad understanding of various sources of finance, ways to access them, and the skills required to analyse financial data for effective decision making.
    3. Organisations and behaviour: The organisational practices of a company and behaviour of its employees have significant impacts on its growth and management. It’s important to be aware of the best practices required for organisational growth and the behaviours that positively impact it. This module covers the types of individual and group behaviour in an organisation, the current theories for improving organisational practices, and upcoming strategies to promote organisational growth.
    4. Marketing principles: Marketing involves putting a company on the global map, creating awareness among the target audience, and informing them about the benefits of the company products. Marketing converts normal people into potential customers and drives revenue generation. This module offers you a basic understanding of marketing concepts, the current theories, and the skills needed to succeed in a fast-paced marketing set-up.
    Co-op placement: The co-op work placement is to provide you a chance to apply your classroom knowledge practically in the real world. This gives you a practical knowledge of different processes, rules and regulations, and issues in a business set-up. You can complete the work placement in any business sector of your choice such as sales, marketing, accounting, finance, retail, customer services or administration.
    The activities that you will be performing as a part of the co-op placement will depend on the company and their rules and regulations. You will be supervised by someone from the company. You would be observing the workplace, interacting with the employees, learning about the work processes, and doing the work assigned to you.
  • Each module is assessed as per the criteria mentioned below.
    1. Individual assignments – 50%
    2. Class participation – 10%
    3. Final module examination – 40%
    The co-op placement is considered as one whole unit and doesn’t have any subdivisions.
    You must complete all the modules and the co-op to graduate from the certificate programme. You need to achieve a minimum limit of 50% in every module and the co-op to pass the course. If you fail to meet the minimum grade limit
  • The fees of the course is set at 10,000 Canadian dollars (CAD) or ₹ 537,285. However, as a part of a special promotion, the course fees have been reduced to 4,995 CAD or ₹ 268,373. The promotional prices are limited to the intake of November 2020 only.

Why should you opt for the business essentials certificate?

Since every industry has a business aspect, pursuing this course will catapult you into the group of qualified candidates who can pursue a career in any industry.  Apart from this, you can also gain the following benefits from pursuing the course from TSOM.

  1. After the course graduation, you will acquire the skills important for functioning in any business space and will have better capability for problem resolution. This can ensure you an entry-level job in any business organisation.

  2. If you are from a business organisation, this course will be useful in exploring the latest technologies and tools used in sales, finance, accounting and marketing. You can also enhance your business and communication skills to excel in your current job.

  3. The certificate course includes a practical approach to teaching by including on-the-job training, supervised practical work, and case studies, to offer you a chance to apply your knowledge to real-life scenarios.

  4. The course is taught by a group of excellent faculty and industry experts who are readily available for checking your progress and clearing your doubts.

  5. The course is taught from TSOM’s campus in downtown Toronto. Toronto is known for its varied student diversity, and is a hub for existing and upcoming businesses from all sectors.

Who should apply for business essentials co-op certificate course?

This course is suitable for you if you want to start your career immediately after high school without a college degree. You can gain an entry level position in any business company after completion of the course.

The course is also apt for people who want a bridge course before a college degree in finance but haven’t decided on a major. The course gives them a broad understanding of the business essentials which can help them choose a college major according to their preferences.

Working people, who want to go back to school to update their skills but don’t want to take a long break from their jobs, can benefit from pursuing this course.

Scope and future of the course

Pursuing a short course in business essentials is a great way to tap into the business boom in the recent years. With new companies being established every day, pursuing this course can land you in a well-paying business job in any industry. Furthermore, it gives you a competitive edge if you are vying for a coveted position or want to switch to a financial career from a different background.

This course can also serve as a great stepping stone for your academic career if you want to pursue an MBA in the future. You will be a favoured candidate for any business program with this course under your belt.

Career prospects after pursuing the course

After the course graduation, you can join as an entry level-employee in any organisation. This course opens the doors to the following interesting positions.

  • Payroll administrators: They are responsible for fund management for the salaries of the employees of a company. They also handle customer resolutions concerning their salaries. You must be good at people management and patient to deal with impatient employees.

  • Accounting assistant: These people assist accounting officers in book-keeping and handling the finances of the organisation. You must be good at math and statistics and have a keen eye for detail for this job.

  • Business assistants: This job entails general organisation of resources in management, technology, and sales. You must be good at multi-tasking and delegation skills to succeed at this job.

  • Office administrators: If you are good at coordinating with people and delegating responsibilities efficiently, you can become an office administrator. These people are in charge of administration of business spaces and facilities.

Apart from these jobs you can also pursue a career in business management as an administrative support officer, administrative assistant, office administrator, property administrators, sales associate, senior secretary, client services associate, cash management associate, scheduling assistants, junior planner, or a records officer.