Would you like a professional certificate with that undergraduate degree?

Get career ready with the hands-on skills and experience employers are seeking

This article was not produced by the Silhouette.

Now more than ever, employers are looking for professionals with specific experience, skills and credentials. The job market is growing, but “69% of employers report having trouble filling vacancies due to a lack of skills among candidates”.

What if you could gain the hands-on skills and experience you need for today’s job market while fulfilling your undergraduate degree requirements at McMaster University?

With McMaster Continuing Education’s ElevateYourSkills option, you can optimize your time at McMaster by taking a certificate or diploma that can be used towards your undergraduate electives.

When you pursue a certificate through McMaster Continuing Education while earning your undergraduate degree, you can:

-Start as early as your first year of undergrad

-Ensure you will be career ready by the time you graduate

-Learn from industry experts

-Showcase your in-demand skills to employers

-Communicate the commitment and value you will bring to a job

-Stand out among other candidates when applying for the jobs you want

Careers for the future by the numbers: why upgrading your skills with a certificate makes sense

The #1 trend affecting the global labour market is automation and the skills upgrade needed to work with new technologies. According to the World Economic Council, by 2025:

-85 million more jobs will be displaced by machines, while 97 million new roles may emerge in new technologies, such as cloud computing, big data, e-commerce, encryption, robots and artificial intelligence.

-84% of employers are set to rapidly digitize working processes, including a significant expansion of remote work for 44% of workers.

-Even for those who remain at the same job, 40% of core occupational skills will change by 2025.

In Canada, 3, 6.56 million job openings are predicted by 2028:

-75% of new jobs are expected to be in high-skill occupations, such as general practitioners, nurses, information systems analysts and consultants, software engineers and designers.

-4.8 million existing positions are being vacated due to replacements/retirements, thus creating a demand for skilled management personnel.

-In both Canada and the U.S., the aging population and workforce will increase the demand for healthcare professionals.

Equip yourself with in-demand skills to successfully compete in the job market. Choose from a variety of flexible online certificate and diploma programs offered by McMaster Continuing Education, including:

- Accounting

-Business Administration

-Human Resources Management

-Risk Management

-Canadian Housing

- Business of Golf and Resort Management

- Intercultural Competency

-Applied Clinical Research

-Health Informatics

-Health and Social Service Skill Development

-Health Ventures

-The Science of Cannabis

-Canadian Health Care

-Marketing

-Digital Marketing

-Creative, Critical & Design Thinking

-Data Analytics

-Data Science

-Big Data Programming & Architecture

To learn more about the ElevateYourSkills option, please visit the McMaster University Continuing Education website at continuing.mcmaster.ca/ElevateYourSkills