When Maria arrived in Canada from the Philippines with her family in 2014, she brought with her a strong background in math but no job prospects. When she learned about the University of Winnipeg’s Professional, Applied and Continuing Education (PACE) in an information session, she jumped at the chance to learn how she could sharpen her skills.
She says the full-time Project Management Diploma program featured great instructors, and as soon as she completed the 10-month program in July, she was offered a job right up her alley as a data analyst with Skip the Dishes.
The food delivery network connects restaurants and customers through a fleet of couriers. Maria analyzes different factors to better predict order volume and optimize scheduling — such as during long weekends or big sporting events, when demand for restaurant food rises.
She feels she is now using her skills in a way that is connected to her career goals.
Maria’s advice to prospective students is simple: consider the Project Management Diploma, because it gives people the chance to pursue whatever dream job they envision.
Taking a break from work after 10 successful years in Strategic Sourcing and Supply Chain in the Automobile Industry in India was not a easy decision. However with an aspiration to enrich his skill-set, Satender attended many education fairs and explored 100s of universities. That’s when he came across the Project Management Diploma offered by UWinnipeg PACE. He knew it would be the right move for taking his career to the next level.
“Besides providing academic excellence, the PACE faculty also helped me in getting adjusted to this new country and helped me call it home,” says Satender.
“The expertise and the professionalism of the faculty were stupendous. All this gives me a healthier sense of self-esteem and a feeling of great accomplishment.”
Satender says his experience as an international student was incredibly stimulating, enriching, and rewarding.
“The program translated my practical experience into powerful Canadian experience,” he says. “I had two job soffer at the end of my internship thanks to PACE!”
As soon as Taiwo Olabode Kehinde completed his full-time Project Management Diploma through UWinnipeg PACE, he landed a dream job as a project analyst with Manitoba eHealth — and he could not be happier.
“I am really excited; I feel I am giving back,” says Taiwo.
He was a quality assurance analyst in the successful Electronic Patient Record upgrade project. He is now part of a team working on the multi-million dollar project to create an electronic home care record system across regional health authorities in Manitoba.
“The best part of a career in business analysis and project management is it allows me to work with people from all backgrounds and walks of life. There are different challenges every day. I love it.”
Taiwo, originally from southwestern Nigeria, had completed a master’s degree and MBA in the United Kingdom when he heard about UWinnipeg’s PACE diploma from a friend. “I wanted a more hands-on program, and that is what attracted me to come to here.” He describes the project management diploma as practical, applied learning that matched his interests extremely well.
His favourite course at PACE was Effective Project Reporting, “because in the real world, projects succeed primarily due to effective communication between all stakeholders involved. My training at PACE gave me full Canadian experience, which I was able to leverage in securing a good job.”
Dhruv Mehta was a project manager with The Royal Bank of Scotland in India before coming to Canada. Even with his previous project management experience, Dhruv found PACE provided him with instrumental training — including the use of industry-related tools like analytical structuring, budgeting, and procuring, which have broad business applications.
“PACE gave me the best possible exposure to the latest project management practices,” shared Dhruv. “I am an experienced project manager, and it still gave me a competitive impetus to do better.”
Dhruv found that being in a diverse class improved his communication skills. “Working with colleagues from different countries helped me learn how to deal with people. This gave me insights and knowledge of cultures I was not exposed to before.”
He also found the program schedule was well-timed to make sure that students gain knowledge of current industrial practices, especially in the Canadian context.
“The fact that PACE had in-depth syllabus coverage of the end-to-end Project Management processes and practices motivated me to short list PACE as the first option to get my certification.”
Dhruv is now a Planner II - Development Planning at the City Of Hamilton.
Dhruv Mehta Planner II - Development Planning City Of Hamilton
Project Management Post-Degree Diploma for International Students
Attending PACE has proved invaluable to my career. PACE has given me the opportunity to give back what I have learnt. The academic mileage that I gained allowed an easy, smooth and rewarding transition to the Canadian workforce market. Besides providing academic excellence the PACE faculty also helped me in getting adjusted to this new country and helped me call it home. The competency and the professionalism of the faculty were nothings less than outstanding. All this gives me an increased sense of self-esteem and a feeling of great accomplishment.
Karma Lama Category Lead - Manitoba Labour, Consumer Protection and Government Services Government of Manitoba
Project Management Post-Degree Diploma for International Students
I work with TD Wealth as a Senior Financial Planner where I assist high net worth individuals, families, corporations, and trusts with portfolio management services and help them achieve their goals such as financial freedom, lifestyle and legacy planning.
The structure of the full-time Project Management program helped prepare me for the realities of the Canadian business environment. During our study period, the workload never seemed to end and the assignments were due back-to-back. While this was very stressful at times, it also prepared me for my current workplace.
Coming from Chandigarh, India (a town nearly the size of Winnipeg and extraordinarily beautiful too), there were lots of challenges in the early days of my studies. As a new immigrant, my life in Canada was very different - even the cars were driven on the opposite side of the road. Cultural shock shaped many of my first interactions with my domestic classmates at university.
Time management was essential to my success, which is especially important to an international student striving for the opportunity of Canadian work experience through the internship program. At one point in my studies, I was working two part-time jobs at almost 18 hours per week, in addition to 30 hours of course lectures during the week, and another 30 hours of homework. Nevertheless, I never had a professor complain about a late assignment, a lack of professionalism in the quality of my work, or poor exam results.
Volunteering through the Internship portion of the program was another valuable tool. Considering the fact that the Project Management Program is only 10 months long, there wasn't enough time for an international student to gain Canadian work experience during the program. That is why I felt it was necessary to give myself this competitive edge, by participating in the internship, as I approached my job search stage.
In the words of Shakespeare, "All's well that ends well." By building connections and staying connected to the right people in the industry, I was the first person in my class to land a great job opportunity. What made the difference? I believe that being proactive and assertive in my job search made me look beyond the want ads and network effectively.
In my estimation, the University of Winnipeg is an academic hub that brings together students from around the globe and nurtures them for a better life, while imparting unmatched quality education.
Ivan had an eclectic employment background in Kyiv, working in everything from IT to government as well as obtaining his Masters with honors in Economics from Dnipropetrovsk National University in 2008.
Originally from Kyiv, Ukraine, Ivan makde the big move to Canada to follow his dreams.
“PACE was enormous in helping fulfill my goals by providing me with a professional education, with a focus on PM skills, networking opportunities and vastly improved his English,” says Ivan, who graduated with a Project Management Diploma in 2017.
Ivan chose PACE based on its global reputation and was not disappointed.
“[PACE] works: I secured a project management position in two months after graduation,” says Ivan, who landed a job in digital project managment. He has since since gone on to certify as a Full-Stack Developer and secure a National Energy Board Code for Canada Fellowship, focussed on making data about important energy projects more accessible for Canadians, so that scientists, landowners, and Indigenous communities can fully participate in the Canadian energy dialogue.
Ivan Duka Software Engineer Canada Energy Regulator
Project Management Post-Degree Diploma for International Students
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.
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.
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
Human Resource Management Post-Degree Diploma for International Students
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