St. Clair will add three new certificate programs during the next year-and-a-half – one involving the human heart, and the other two dealing with the “vital arteries” of the business world.
The college’s Board of Governors (BofG) approved the launch of these new programs during its October 23rd meeting at the St. Clair Centre for the Arts: Diagnostic Cardiac Sonography, Supply Chain Management, and International Business Management/Supply Chain Management.
DIAGNOSTIC CARDIAC SONOGRAPHY
The college has had a “whole body” Diagnostic Medical Sonography program – and Cardiovascular Technology – in place at its Toldo Centre for Applied Health Sciences for the past half-decade.
This additional, two-years-long certificate program will allow the grads of such programs to specialize in heart-health procedures.
The report furnished to the BofG by Vice-President Academic Waseem Habash explained:
Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographers (DCS) utilize high-frequency sound waves in order to assist physicians in making heart health diagnoses. They perform sonographic procedures on the heart and determine which images to submit for review to the primary care physician. This graduate certificate program would be of interest to graduates of diagnostic sonography programs and cardiovascular technology programs or other related health science programs.
The Diagnostic Cardiac Sonography program will prepare students to develop theoretical and clinical competency skills required in the field of cardiac sonography and will also allow them to gain extensive laboratory and clinical experience, utilizing state-of-the-art equipment. The program will allow students to participate in two semesters of clinical training and meet the competencies outlined in the Sonography Canada National Competency Profile (NCP) …
… Diagnostic cardiac sonographers fall under National Occupation Classification (NOC) 3216 Medical Sonographers. Diagnostic cardiac sonographers operate ultrasound equipment and use non-invasive cardiovascular technology equipment to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with heart and blood vessel conditions. They perform echocardiograms, or ultrasound imaging, to evaluate different aspects of the heart such as chamber size, valve function, and blood flow and to produce and record images of the cardiac system. While diagnostic cardiac sonographers do not diagnose patients, they work with physicians in doing so, and may assist in other diagnostic procedures.
Graduates of the two-year post-graduate certificate program may work in hospitals, medical offices, private clinics, and independent cardiac testing centres.
Government initiatives from 2016 to 2018, exceeding $150 million in funding for regional heart health centres, will increase demand for graduates of this program.
Over the 2017-2019 period, the employment outlook is undetermined in the Windsor-Sarnia region, but is expected to be good in Ontario for medical sonographers (NOC 3216). The increased prevalence of chronic illnesses will continue to drive the need for diagnostic services. These factors, along with the health care needs of a growing and aging population, are generating demand for the service of medical sonographers.
For a more robust analysis, the Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS) clusters medical sonographers with medical radiation technologists and respiratory therapists. According to COPS, the national labour force for this cluster was 42,800 in 2016. The 2017-2026 projections show a balance between labour demand and supply with 17,500 positions and 17,300 new job seekers. Fifty-one percent of positions are due to industry expansion with the remainder due to the replacement of existing workers.
Habash’s report also noted that only two colleges in Ontario are currently offering similar training: Algonquin in Ottawa, and Mohawk in Hamilton.
Scheduled for launch in January of 2020, the Cardiac Sonography program is expected to attract an annual enrolment of 24 students.
During its first eight years of operation, it is forecast to generate a “profit” (tuition and grants, minus cost of equipment and faculty salaries) of just over $450,000.
SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT … TIMES TWO
The two new programs of the Zekelman School of Business and Information Technology are similar, except: (a) Supply Chain Management is a one-year-long program designed for all Business students (domestic and international); while (b) International Business Management/Supply Chain Management is two-years-long, and is designed solely for international students.
Habash’s report stated:
Supply Chain Managers support an organization’s ability to develop a competitive advantage by integrating the movement of raw materials and finished products from the original source to the end user. They also manage and track the storage of these goods. Students will learn how to apply documentary collection and letter of credit processes, arrange for the transport and storage of multiple types of goods, develop a collaborative procurement process, and employ the technique of integrative bargaining in the negotiations between suppliers and clients.
Students will also learn aspects of marketing freight forwarding services while ensuring adherence to transportation regulations. This graduate certificate introduces the student to the Canadian Customs process and exposes them to the movement of goods across an international border. Further, students practice applying business finance concepts related to cash flow, working capital management, sources of financing, and capital budgeting. The impact of business law on transaction decision making will also be addressed. The capstone project will provide an opportunity to demonstrate the integration and applications of their learning and enable them to develop a solution based on real-world supply chain logistics scenarios.
Graduates of the Supply Chain Management Program (SCM) may qualify for advanced standing in the pursuit of their Supply Chain Management (SMT) designation through the Supply Chain Management Association (SCMA) after working one year in the industry. Simultaneously, students will have the opportunity to write the Canadian International Freight Forwarders (CIFFA) exams to enable them to earn their CIFFA designation …
… Graduates may typically find employment in various industry sectors, such as wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing, manufacturing, retail trade and public administration. Job titles include flight crew scheduling supervisors, head dispatchers, head shippers, inventory control supervisors, supply control coordinators, production clerk supervisors, ramp services supervisor-airport, supervisor, receiving, parts service supervisor, dispatch logistician, logistics supervisor-transportation, or freight forwarding logistician.
The International Business Management component of the second program has all of those features, plus: This two-year post-graduate International Business and Supply Chain Management program enables graduates to enter the industry as business professionals, capable of investigating target market demands and determining the best opportunities for export. This program builds the necessary skills to understand, monitor and influence the effective and efficient operation of the supply chain as goods flow across borders. Employers are looking for graduates who can analyze financial statements, manage cash flow and apply the most appropriate International Commercial Terms to transfer the cost and risk, when moving goods from the seller to the buyer. Graduates will be well prepared to develop viable market entry strategies for foreign markets and to create project management plans for international ventures. These capabilities will offer the competitive advantage that today’s global organizations need.
The one-year-long Supply Chain Management program (scheduled for launch in September, 2019) is expected to attract an enrolment of upwards of 85 students per year.
During its first eight years of operation, it is expected to generate a “profit” for the college of approximately one million dollars.
The two-years-long International Business Management/Supply Chain Management program (launch scheduled for May, 2019) is expected to attract an annual enrolment of approximately 200 international students.
Because of the much higher international tuition rate, the program is expected to generate a “profit” for the college of approximately $10.4 million over its first eight years of operation.
