Choosing your career path can be overwhelming. From university programs to trades apprenticeships, the options are seemingly endless. If you’re having a hard time making a decision, start by checking out the programs at Medicine Hat College (MHC).
Whether you’re taking your first step after high school or changing directions later in life, MHC has a wide range of programs to prepare you for success in your courses, in life, and in the workforce.
“Medicine Hat College has more than 40 certificate, diploma, degree, trades, and university study programs,” said Sport and Event Marketing and Management Coordinator, Dayna Felensky. “We have smaller class sizes, too, so students can really get to know their instructors and their cohorts.”
To make sure every student has the chance to find their path, MHC offers programs across various sectors. Notable programs available right now include Sport and Event Marketing and Management, Sustainable Innovation, and Service Dog and Canine Studies Management.
The Sport and Event Marketing and Management diploma program prepares students to enter the fast-paced, ever-changing world of sports, arts and entertainment, and not-for-profits.
Students will learn the essentials of experiential marketing, public relations, and management theory – the driving forces of public image – in addition to mastering the science of persuasion and understanding the world of e-sports.
“They kind of go through everything,” said Felensky, “and there’s a lot of hands-on projects in the program. We’ve worked with our own athletic team, the Medicine Hat College Rattlers, we worked with our Junior B team, The Cubs, and [our students] actually designed different marketing assets for them.”
The courses in this program are designed to teach students as they work, with simulations, case studies, and workplace integration, so they get a real-time understanding of their life on the job. The College partners with various organizations within the Medicine Hat area for in-class projects as well as the employment placement students receive in the last two months of the program.
“When we can integrate projects into our classes for our local community, it’s a win-win: our students get hands-on, real-time experience, and our community can benefit from the skill set they’ve gained in the last two years,” said Felensky.
“One of the coolest projects they did last year – I’m so proud of them – they worked with the Alberta Health Foundation in their sponsorship class,” boasted Felensky. “They chose to fundraise for the Medicine Hat Pediatrics so they could create a sports-themed room on our hospital pediatric floor. Their goal was to raise $5,000, but they actually raised $10,000 and have now created two rooms.”
While this program does lean more towards the sport and event sector, many students will find work in other industries, such as not-for-profits and municipalities.
“All our graduates so far have been permanently placed in jobs in Alberta and Saskatchewan. One student was placed with the Special Olympics Canada Summer Games here in Medicine Hat. And we have two students that have placements in Australia,” said Felensky.
The Sport and Event Marketing and Management program is currently accepting applications for its third year. Students will take 5 classes per semester over two years, staying with the same cohort the entire time.
“Being able to work with the same group creates a community in the classroom,” said Felensky, “so they’re able to build relationships and do some incredible work together. And with a class size under 30, the students can really get to know their instructors, and the instructors are better able to support every student.”
For those passionate about making a positive difference, MHC’s Sustainable Innovation program offers majors in business and science. This two-year diploma prepares students to respond to the United Nations’ Global Sustainable Development Goals, fostering a new generation of leaders dedicated to driving change.
“The term sustainability is often associated with climate change, but it involves so much more,” explained Clayton Bos, dean of the School of Arts, Science, and Education at MHC. “Sustainability recognizes that economic, social, and environmental hardships naturally coincide with strategies that improve health, education, equality, innovation, economic growth, and environmental systems. Modeling these integrated systems will drive sustainable innovation.”
Students will learn to measure sustainability through the triple bottom line – people, planet, and profit – and explore innovative solutions that challenge the status quo, preparing them to become champions of change within their organizations.
Aimed at animal lovers, the Service Dog and Canine Studies Management program offers pathways into various careers, such as kennel operation, dog grooming, training operations, and the crucial work of training service dogs for individuals with autism, dementia, diabetes, and those requiring emotional therapy.
With a strong emphasis on work-integrated learning, students gain practical, hands-on experience working directly with dogs that will eventually assist clients. This unique aspect of the program ensures that graduates are not only equipped with theoretical knowledge, but also have practical skills that are highly valued in the workforce.
If you’re interested in any of these programs, or want to discover what else is out there, don’t hesitate to get in touch! MHC offers many more unique programs that could be they key to finding your dream job – it’s never too late to get started!
For more information on all of Medicine Hat College’s programs and services, visit www.mhc.ab.ca