The decision to leave a successful career wasn’t a sudden decision, nor undertaken without calculating the risks, but leading change was something Alexandre was very familiar with in his previous career. With experience ranging from financial analysis to litigation, Alexandre is now positioning himself for his next career move in the area of compensation, or labour management relations, through his studies in the Human Resource Management Diploma Program.
His experience at PACE has been very positive and the program has proven to be the right path for his professional development needs. The comprehensive structure of the program, coupled with the internship program makes this more appealing to the other programs he researched.
“My classmates and the administration are very helpful and the program instructors are great. As an international student, this has helped make the transition to a new country a lot easier.” Hailing from Sao Paulo, Brazil, Alex plans to remain in Canada and build a new life here in Winnipeg with his wife and their two children.
Alexandre Morales Human Resources Management System Analyst Manitoba Public Insurance
As a freelance publicist and journalist in the Caribbean, Tracelyn Cornelius had many years of experience in marketing and communications. UWinnipeg PACE's Public Relations, Marketing & Strategic Communication Diploma allowed her to quickly acclimatize to a new job market after moving to Canada.
“After being in management for many years, my skills were becoming dated,” says Tracelyn, who wanted to pursue a new career that would allow her to spend more time with her family.
“PACE helped me to upgrade my skills within a short time. It also taught me to approach job hunting in Canada from a strategic point of view. The résumé writing and interview techniques I learned helped me to stand out to potential employers.”
Tracelyn says the biggest lesson she learned was the need to conduct extensive research before taking on a project. She also appreciated the “real-life” projects she was able to work on. “In our media relations course, we actually had to plan an event and execute it from start to finish. From mopping the floors of the conference room to drafting and disseminating media releases, we received a lot of practical experience.”
Tracelyn is now using the skills she gained at PACE in her current role as a Director, Inclusive Comunications with the University of Waterloo.
Tracelyn Cornelius Director, Inclusive Comunications University of Waterloo
Public Relations & Strategic Communication Diploma
Idayat chose PACE because it is a highly recognized program known for its employment training and successful alumni. Idayat credits PACE with giving her the tools she required to succeed at work and in life.
“What I liked about PACE is the well-rounded curriculum. The program covers all aspects of human resource management and key areas of management. It used the most current ideas on all aspects of human resource management, with a knowledgeable faculty. Some of the courses also helped me to discover my strengths and uniqueness; the value derived from the program is unquantifiable.”
Idayat said she was able to learn a lot within a very short period.
“The full-time program enabled me to develop very good relationships with my classmates. Through team assignments and projects, I learned to collaborate with my peers to achieve a common goal and was able to broaden my understanding of other cultures. I now have a reliable network of friends with whom I can share ideas as I progress in my career.”
Before coming to PACE, Idayat was a Compensation and Benefits Consultant with KPMG Professional Services.
In the Ukraine I obtained my Master’s Degree in Civil and Commercial Law and was pushing my career in that field. I decided to grow my knowledge and skills in the area of Human Resources as it was interesting for me to connect with people and help organizations to find the best fit for them.
I chose PACE because it was extremely easy to apply for that program, the website presented all important information about the course and university, and PACE staff was really supportive during the application process and gave all the possible help and advice to make that stressful process easier. Also, the program I chose, Human Resource Management, in a short period of time gave me an opportunity to familiarize myself with Canadian trends in the HR industry and get my foot in the door through connection with instructors who are actual HR professionals.
The most memorable experience in PACE for me was my volunteering experience. I’ve joined Student Life Committee as a Student Life Photographer, and during that time was able to capture all different cultures that are represented in PACE. That was incredible to observe how people whom different backgrounds, cultures, religious and perception of life connect with each other and become friends.
The PACE is a great first step if you want to start in the field that is not familiar to you or to update yourself on the Canadian trend of the industry if you have a particular background. Overall it is great for all the people of different ages as well as you also learning from your classmates who share their stories.
PACE gave a general understanding of the industry as my instructors were HR professionals with a huge experience all over Canada. The internships that I had after my studies were quintessential for my future career, as gave a real-world experience and strong professional and personal connections.
Don’t be afraid to start something new because of a chance of failure. Canada is a land of opportunities, and any hard work either during your studies or with some employer would be awarded.
“I was in the peak of my career, left everything behind and started at ground zero, but I never looked back since then” says Joana Bersamina, who has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from De La Salle University in Philippines.
“Having PACE as my starting point will always be the best decision I’ve ever made.” I did some research and majority of the Industry Professionals in the province took PACE. I told myself, “Investment must be worthy down the road and PACE would be the best tool in achieving my goals”
Joana graduated from UWinnipeg PACE’s Human Resource Management Diploma in 2018 and has been in-demand in the HR industry in the province since, working for a number of both private and non-profit organizations.
Currently, she is the Vice President for People & Culture at YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg. The YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg is a charity that ignites the potential in people, helping them grow, lead, and give back to their communities.
“If you are someone who wants to set foot in the HR industry, PACE is the best starting point. You will never regret it,” she says. “I had zero Canadian experience, and it was PACE that opened all the doors for me.”
Joana Bersamina Vice President for People & Culture YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg
Olga Shupta works at the City of Winnipeg. She credits her career success and professional accomplishments to PACE.
“The PACE program was definitely a life-changing experience that gave me an overall good foundation of a lot of different areas of human resources,” says Olga. “All PACE staff members were extremely supportive. As an international student, that helped me to make the transition to a new country a lot easier.”
Olga already had an MA in psychology from Ukraine when she decided to come to Canada. She knew she wanted to obtain a Human Resource Management Diploma and a management certificate. She sent her application to a number of universities across Canada, and chose UWinnipeg PACE for the support that was provided from the beginning of the application process.
Olga says that aside from the support through the application process, PACE programs set her up for success.
“PACE has an amazing internship program that provides work experience once you have completed your education.”
Shupta is presently a candidate working towards attaining the Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) designation — the leading standard for HR professionals in Canada. Because PACE’s Human Resource Management Diploma program has been granted accreditation by the Human Resource Management Association of Manitoba (HRMAM), PACE students who have completed the program are eligible to waive the National Knowledge Exam (NKE) — the first step to attaining the CPHR designation.
Olga Shupta Recruitment, HR Division, Staffing Branch City of Winnipeg
Lincoln graduated from his one-year full-time Financial Management Diploma (formerly Managerial and Financial Leadership Diploma) program delivered through Professional and Applied Continuing Education (PACE) at The University of Winnipeg in October 2016 — and quickly secured a position as a Financial Analyst with the Loblaws supermarket chain. It helped that during his studies, he was placed at Loblaws for a three-week internship.
“I started in the payroll department and that allowed me to build a network within the company,” says Lincoln. “I am very excited to be working on the financial and accounting side of the business.”
Originally from Sao Paulo, an area known as the financial capital of Brazil, Lincoln has a background in logistics. He wanted to gain international experience, and researched many places before selecting the PACE diploma program. “It was a perfect fit for me. It is very hands-on and up-to-date with current events in the classroom. We were also exposed to visiting professionals from the financial sector and really experienced instructors.”
Lincoln says the best parts of his year of study were the close friendships that formed among classmates and the small class sizes, which allowed for a lot of contact with instructors.
“It was a very open atmosphere, and we got immediate feedback on our work.”
Lincoln Amemiya Financial Systems Analyst Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
“PACE stands out due to its recognition in the industry, quality of the professionals teaching each course, the program structure, content, and tempo,” says Odjus Edah-Dike. Odjus graduated with a Financial Management Diploma from UWinnipeg PACE in 2019 and works as Marketing Rewards Team Analyst for SkipTheDishes.
From preparing annual auditing packages and financial information to maintaining the national tax receipt and donor database, Odjus says the PACE experience provided the necessary knowledge and know-how to navigate the needs of his current role.
Before enrolling in the Financial Management program at PACE, Odjus earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Covenant University in Ota, Nigeria in 2015 and worked at an auditing firm as well as an investment firm for two years.
“The PACE program is quite intense and has a condensed curriculum. The program is designed to ensure maximum value for effort required,” says Odjus. “The most valuable aspect of the PACE diploma is the vast experience provided by peers as well as the keen insights into the technicalities in the world of finance.”
Odjus Edah-Dike Marketing Rewards Team Analyst SkipTheDishes
“I chose PACE because I was looking for a course that could take me to the next level in my career,” says Sandra Alencar, who earned her Human Resource Management Diploma from UWinnipeg PACE in 2021. “I had some experience in human resources and wanted to get the education behind it.”
Prior to studying at PACE, Sandra held a Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics from the – Federal University of Ceara, in Brazil.
Sandra completed her program with PACE online during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It took resilience and courage to walk through all that and hold on until the end,” says Sandra. “It was worth it. At the time the world was facing its worst moment, we were together giving each other support to move on and pursue our dream.”
Sandra completed the 4-week internship at the end of program. By the end of her four weeks, she’d landed three job offers. Sandra is a Talent Acquisition Coordinator at Canadian Western Bank, a diversified financial services organization providing specialized services in banking, trust and wealth management.
“My job is to help find top talented candidates to be part of our workforce,” she says. Her job includes full-cycle recruitment from communicating with candidates and reviewing resumes, to checking references and communicating with the hiring manager.
“Even though I had some experience from my home country, PACE gave me the tools to succeed in the Canadian market. As an international student that was very crucial,” she says. “When I was a student, we had a subject named Recruitment and Selection, the instructor was a very experienced recruiter that shared valuable knowledge with us. Even today I am able to apply their lessons in my job.”
“PACE was a life-changing experience for me. It was my steppingstone into the Canadian job market and thanks to the great instructors, amazing material, and all the companionship we developed with our classmates, I was able to make my biggest dream come true: start my career as a recruiter in Canada.”
“I chose PACE because this 12-month diploma program was a perfect fit to advance my technical expertise and marketability in the field of data analytics,” says Mahesh Kumar Batti Venkata Naga, who earned his Predictive Analytics Diploma from UWinnipeg PACE in 2022. “The post-degree diploma program provided me with the perfect opportunity in taking my data science skills to the next level and explore the field of predictive analytics.
Prior to studying at UWinnipeg PACE, Mahesh held an Integrated Honors Dual Degree with a Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Science from Birla Institute of Technology and Science in India.
“The program challenged me to think critically and creatively, and I was able to develop a strong foundation in data science concepts. says Mahesh. “This perfectly crafted 1-year PACE course helped me fill in the gap in my current skill set, and to climb up my career ladder, with a minimal break in pursuing relevant education.”
Mahesh landed a role as an Information Technology Consultant at IntegrationWorx Ltd, a firm that develops custom data integration and data management solutions for cloud-based, on-premise and hybrid environments across a wide range of business problems and industries shortly after finishing his program.
“I was able to apply my new skills and knowledge to my work, and contribute to important projects,” says Mahesh. “As part of my work, I primarily design, develop, integrate, and implement information systems business solutions with a primary focus on data integration, data analytics and data science.”
Mahesh says he was well prepared for this role because PACE instructors discussed the real-world scenarios in data science through out the program.
“I was able to apply my existing knowledge to new domains, and I gained hands-on experience working with cutting-edge tools and technologies,” he says.
“My experience at The University of Winnipeg has been transformative, and I am grateful for the excellent education and support provided by the University of Winnipeg's PACE program and management, which has played a vital role in my career progression,” says Mahesh.
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