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Office Admin Prog Holds Sixth Graduation Ceremony

Aug 15, 2016

Posted in: Office Admin

By Chantelle Julé

When you enter a building or workplace of any sort, the first person you are likely to see is an administrative staff, who is there to greet you and direct your needs. Administrative professionals are of high value to organizations as they are considered the front line staff, the first person that clients see, and the individuals who keep the office and business services running smoothly. Qualified administrative personnel are in high demand. Employers today, however, do not only look for personality and experience when hiring their administrative staff, but they also look for those who have completed education in this field. At DTI, we are proud to have offered, for the sixth year in a row, the Office Administration program, that provides the knowledge and skills that employers are looking for when hiring Administrative assistants.

Our Office Administration program is quite unique in that for the six years it has been offered in Regina, we have partnered with the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region (RQHR) in the delivery of the program. To better prepare our Office Administrative students for careers with the health region, our curriculum includes a medical terminology class. As well, we offer a two-week practicum placement at the end of the program. Even though this practicum is unpaid, the experience is certainly valuable to our new graduates. It gives them a chance to experience work in a real office setting, and put their classroom knowledge to use. The practical experience also gives them an opportunity to build their confidence using their new skills before they are hired. The practicum is a valuable tool for our students to gain experience, as well as allows businesses to see what they would be like as a potential employer prior to hiring them.

Many students spoke very highly of their practicum experience, stating such things as, “I really enjoyed my time at the practicum. I would consider working at a place like that,” or “I loved my time there and at the end of my first week they had offered me a job,” or “I never expected to like it there as much as I did.” Several of the students got practicum placements at the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region, most of whom were hired by the Health Region upon successful completion of their program. Some students chose different locations for their practicums depending on personal interest. All in all there were many positive outcomes from the practicum component of the program.

Fourteen students who had completed the Office Administration program celebrated their accomplishments with guests, who included over 110 family and friends, at their graduation ceremony at the Regina Travelodge on June 30, 2016.  A very nice graduation lunch was followed by speeches as well as gift and certificate presentations.

As of July 25, 2016, seven of the 14 students who recently completed the Office Administrative program have been hired by the RQHR. Two more may be hired by the health region this summer. On behalf of DTI, we would like to extend a sincere appreciation to the program staff for providing a quality education to our students; to GDI Training and Employment for offering financial support to many students; DTI Program Support Facilitator Darcie Debruyne who helped facilitate the practicum placements; and to RQHR for providing so many placements and job opportunities once again. Further, we would like to thank all of the employers who participated in the program and who offered practicum opportunities. We look forward to offering this successful program for the seventh consecutive year this fall!

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