“PACE was the start of everything,” says Daniel Strehl, who earned his Project Management Diploma from UWinnipeg PACE in 2021. “From building a solid network to polishing my previous knowledge in project management, and providing me with the opportunity to attend an internship experience.”
Daniel completed an internship at the City of Winnipeg to finish off his 12-month program before heading into the job market.
“This experience was crucial for adding Canadian work experience to my resume, which allowed me to be at least one step ahead of the competition for job positions,” says Daniel. “The internship allowed me to understand better the work environment and what was expected from me in future positions.”
“The PACE course is aligned with the market best practices, and the body of teachers is well prepared to foster students to excel in a competitive work market,” says Daniel.
Daniel landed a role as Project Manager at Manitoba Hydro after his internship, a provincial Crown Corporation and one of Canada's largest integrated electricity and natural gas distribution utilities. Before studying at PACE, Daniel earned a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Centro Universitario Euro-Americano in Brazil.
“My experience at PACE was vital to position myself for my current role,” says Daniel. “I am responsible for managing all project and integration-related tasks, including initiating, planning, executing, and closing multiple small, medium and large-sized projects. I am also responsible for guiding and overseeing multiple project teams.”
Daniel says his most valuable lesson from PACE is that your network reflects your values and efforts.
“The course will demand dedication and much work, but the experience that you will go through is worth every second of your time,” he says. “PACE can offer you the means and ways to become or set you towards the best version of yourself.”
Priscilla Rios is a Director for Aramark Canada in Winnipeg. She found that PACE provided her with the knowledge she needed to start her career in marketing, public relations, and strategic communication.
“The PACE program has a great team of instructors,” Priscilla says. “They are willing to go an extra mile for you if they see you are taking the program seriously, and that support is priceless!”
She also appreciated how the full-time program allowed her to graduate in one year.
“I got a job in my area of study three weeks before I finished the program,” says Priscilla. “PACE was a perfect fit due to its length and its high quality of education. When I signed up for the program I knew I would return to the market quickly.”
Before coming to PACE, Rios was a journalist in Brazil for ten years. She worked as an editor-in-chief for TV and print. The PACE courses provided her with a broad foundation of PR and marketing-specific knowledge and skills with an emphasis on best practices, as well as current and emerging issues —that naturally complement her experience as a journalist.
“It has been a great journey,” says Priscilla.
Priscilla Rios Director National Corporate Marketing Aramark Canada
Public Relations & Strategic Communication Diploma
As an international student, PACE proved to be an excellent choice for building my education and life experience with an incredibly designed program. I got to meet students from around the world and learning became a way of connecting with your classmates through discussing and debating diverse ideas, and interacting with our experienced instructors. PACE gave me the unique opportunity to showcase my talents, improve my skills and most importantly, have fun while doing it. After the program finished, I graduated with my two greatest accomplishments, an opportunity to work as a corporate affairs intern at Cargill and a Brand Ambassador at CBC.
Public Relations & Strategic Communication Diploma
Originally from Mexico, Mirna Sainz-Gomez landed her role as Marketing Specialist for StandardAero just as the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in mid-March 2020.
Prior to this, Mirna landed a role as Events, Marketing and Communications Coordinator at the ALS Society of Manitoba following an internship with the organization before working full-time as an interpreter, while hunting for her dream job in the aerospace industry.
She chose PACE because it was exactly what she was looking for. “It’s a one-year diploma, at a recognized university in North America, and with affordable student fees,” said Mirna.
“I really enjoyed studying at PACE,” says Mirna. “It exceeded my expectations. This one-year program offered me the perfect mix of education. It was an updated 360-degree communications overview, with a high-level of English writing, offered by great instructors.”
As an international student, she found this full-time program to be ideal for what she needed.
“I was fully immersed in an intensive training and learning process on how communications and marketing currently work to help business grow in very competitive markets,” says Mirna. “When you are serious in taking your career to the next level in the international job market, PACE is definitely an option to consider. Going back to school helped me reconnect with my passion for communications and to take a step ahead in my professional career.”
"Most of my school projects at PACE were about the aerospace industry dreaming of one day working there," says Mirna, who as a lifelong lerner pursued further credentials with an online Masters in Aerospace and Airport Management to help her succeed. "I love school!"
Rupa is originally from Kathmandu, Nepal and moved to Canada in January 2017 to pursue her education at The University of Winnipeg PACE.
After her MBA, she secured a position at an advertising and research firm in Nepal and realized she needed to sharpen her skills. The Marketing Manangement Diploma at PACE had the practical experience she needed to succeed. Why would she recommend UWinnipeg?
"UWinnipeg PACE is not only about shaping your career or your academic pathway, it is about transforming you into a complete individual. It teaches you how to anticipate and react to the challenges you face whether it is academic, professional or a personal. Therefore, I encourage you to be a part of the UWinnipeg family and grow into a strong and independent individual."
"I would say that PACE is a great platform for international students like me who can take an opportunity to shine and achieve their goals. However, one should be willing to work hard and work smart because there is no shortcut to your dreams."
PACE helped Bharat Dutta make the transition into a Canadian workplace. With an MBA focused on Operations Management from the School of Management Studies, at Punjabi University in India, Bharat was looking for a program that could brush up his skills and introduce him to Canadian work culture.
Bharat found that in UWinnipeg PACE’s Marketing Management Diploma and graduated in 2018.
“First and foremost, PACE has a really warm and welcoming culture. Secondly, teachers are open to questions and classrooms are more like a discussion groups. Last, but not least, the program is developed for the success in [Canadian] society.”
“For me the most important courses focused on communication skills, cross-cultural awareness, resume building, and essential skills of managers.”
Practical skills learned through the program helped Bharat prepare for and land a job shortly after graduation.
“I knew what I needed to pay attention to in the job posting, how to change my resume, as well as what interview questions I could expect. All-in-all, I was prepared for my job interview because I could anticipate what was coming my way based on the skills I learned at PACE.”
My experience at PACE was great, the atmosphere and teaching staff created a great learning experience and prepared me for the workforce. All I learned has opened various doors of opportunities in this beautiful city.
Samuel Adeoya Manager Talent Systems Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan
Gulshanpreet Brar is a 2015 graduate of PACE’s Human Resource Management Diploma program. Originally from India, Gulshanpreet decided on PACE because it was the only program that offered a fast-track, post-graduate education with a unique blend of courses that suited her background in commerce.
Gulshanpreet quickly learned at PACE that she could gain more from those around her than she could from any textbook—whether it was the diverse perspectives her classmates brought to a project, or instructors sharing feedback. “I learned how to be progressive and how to achieve success by working together,” she says.
Teamwork has proven to be essential in Gulshanpreet’s position at SkipTheDishes, where as a recruitment associate, she’s now building a team of her own. PACE gave her the necessary skills—such as interpersonal communication and problem solving—to recruit and train employees for the growing company as it expands across North America.
She also credits the diploma program’s practicum for giving her valuable Canadian work experience in her field.
“My experience as an international student has been incredibly stimulating, enriching and rewarding,” says Guneet Kaura Dikshit, who graduated with a Human Resource Management Diploma from UWinnipeg PACE.
“Not only did the program have the best mix of courses, it also provided hands on practical knowledge,” she says. “Thanks to the brilliant and highly experienced instructors from the field along with very supportive staff, I could excel and avail the opportunity to get a $2000 scholarship.”
In addition to winning a scholarship, Guneet says the opportunity for a meaningful internship helped propel her to a successful life in Canada.
“The internship at the end of the program ended up with me getting hired at the same company,” says Guneet. “My class comprised of students from different professional and cultural backgrounds. It was a true representation of diversity and multicultural mosaic. All along it’s been an amazing journey!”
“I chose PACE because it offered both project management and soft skills learning opportunities. It was the perfect content to complement my professional experience,” says Juan Cristobal Narvaez, Associate Manager at Canada Life.
Juan graduated with the Project Management Diploma from UWinnipeg PACE in 2018. Prior to coming to Canada, he studied to be a Civil Engineer from Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador and has an MBA from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education in Mexico.
As part of his role at MHI, he assists with business development and project management activities with a focus on consulting, management, and training contracts in Latin America and Mexico marketplaces, conducts market and competitive analysis in the energy service sector, and develops contacts, relationships and working knowledge of international financial institutions and agencies.
Juan says the fact that the program offers exposure to and training on cultural diversity makes PACE a unique experience.
“The exposure to the cultural diversity that PACE fosters and having acquired the related skills helped me to soundly step into the Canadian workplace. I would’ve never imagined having a formal class about the cultural experience here in Canada but once in my new job, I saw how the course content and assignments were aligned with the realities in the workplace.
Juan Cristóbal Narváez Solano Associate Manager, Business Performance, Reporting & Support - Group Customer, Shared Services Canada Life
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