Paying to work: A guide to certificates
I know the last thing you want to do after being at school all day is to take some extra courses, especially if you have to pay for them. You might be thinking that it's crazy to spend money on certificates just to get a job. These courses might cost you a little bit of money, but the payback is well worth it — this extra training not only will help you land jobs, but will also help you be a better employee.
Smart Serve
If you're looking to work at any bar, restaurant, banquet hall or anywhere else they serve alcohol, this certificate is the one for you. Smart Serve is a mandatory certificate that lets you legally serve alcoholic beverages to patrons. It teaches the legal responsibilities when serving alcohol, how to prevent alcohol-related problems and how to deal when problems do occur<
There are two ways to obtain a Smart Serve certificate. The first way is an online course that costs $34.95 plus HST. The training consists of interactive videos, text, quizzes and certification test that takes approximately four hours to complete, but doesn't need to be completed all in one sitting.
The second option is an in-class training session that you can do here in London at the London Training Center (317 Adelaide St. S.). This $75 three-hour session will give you all the necessary training and skills by a certified instructor and the test to earn Smart Serve.
First AID and CPR
This course will give you the training and knowledge to asses and respond when emergency situations occur. First Aid and CPR training teaches you how to properly resuscitate breathing, clear airway passages and deal with cardiac arrest situations with hands-on training using a defibrillator and dummies.
By law, workplaces in Ontario require some employees on the floor to have this training and the course is mandatory to any student in Health Sciences, Nursing or Human Services. The program costs are in the $125 to $145 range and takes about 14 to 16 hours to complete.
First Aid/CPR training is offered at multiple locations around London, including:
Heart and Stroke
Saint John's Ambulance
sja.ca
741 King St.
Vantage First Aid
vantagefirstaid.com
570 Gainsborough Rd.
First Aid Training Junction
firstaidtrainingjunction.ca
232 Ellerslie Rd.
WHMIS
WHMIS stands for Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System, and the program teaches you what the labels on containers of WHMIS “controlled products” mean and how to safely handle them. WHMIS training will teach you how to use the Material Safety Data Sheets chart and recognize which products are flammable, explosive or poisonous. Knowing these symbols could potentially save your life or the lives of your coworkers one day. Employees who are around any kind of chemicals in the workplace — even in restaurants — are required to have this training. The course is usually is free and included during job training, but if not, the course costs $30 at the London Training Centre ((317 Adelaide St. S.) and $80 for an online course at ccohs.ca.
Safe Food Handling
We have all seen Kitchen Nightmares episodes where Chef Gordon Ramsay rolls in and starts yelling so hard over a filthy kitchen that the every person in the restaurant starts crying. Show Ramsay up and get the Safe Food Handling Certificate to learn how to safely cook and store food while keeping a clean workspace. Anyone pursuing a career in a kitchen should definitely pick this up not only for their own knowledge, but for the safety of their future diners.
The four-hour course touches on the subjects like food microbiology, food allergies, temperature control, cross-contamination, cleaning and sanitizing. It costs $60 per person and the certificate guarantees you meet any mandatory provincial food safety training requirements.
Computer Training
If you think your computer skills could use a bit of an upgrade, this training course may be for you. The London Training Centre (317 Adelaide St. S.) offers variety of courses, each on different subjects like Word Perfect, Publisher Excel, Simply Accounting and PowerPoint, you'll learn the basics and advanced features to master these programs and impress anyone in your office. Most offices require you to be adept at using least one of programs, and it can't hurt to upgrade your skills. The Training Centre offers all of these courses in the day for one-on-one sessions and group training at night with two-hour courses lasting three or four sessions.
For more information about training available locally, check out the London Training Centre website at londontraining.on.ca.
Smart Serve
If you're looking to work at any bar, restaurant, banquet hall or anywhere else they serve alcohol, this certificate is the one for you. Smart Serve is a mandatory certificate that lets you legally serve alcoholic beverages to patrons. It teaches the legal responsibilities when serving alcohol, how to prevent alcohol-related problems and how to deal when problems do occur<
There are two ways to obtain a Smart Serve certificate. The first way is an online course that costs $34.95 plus HST. The training consists of interactive videos, text, quizzes and certification test that takes approximately four hours to complete, but doesn't need to be completed all in one sitting.
The second option is an in-class training session that you can do here in London at the London Training Center (317 Adelaide St. S.). This $75 three-hour session will give you all the necessary training and skills by a certified instructor and the test to earn Smart Serve.
First AID and CPR
This course will give you the training and knowledge to asses and respond when emergency situations occur. First Aid and CPR training teaches you how to properly resuscitate breathing, clear airway passages and deal with cardiac arrest situations with hands-on training using a defibrillator and dummies.
By law, workplaces in Ontario require some employees on the floor to have this training and the course is mandatory to any student in Health Sciences, Nursing or Human Services. The program costs are in the $125 to $145 range and takes about 14 to 16 hours to complete.
First Aid/CPR training is offered at multiple locations around London, including:
Heart and Stroke
Saint John's Ambulance
sja.ca
741 King St.
Vantage First Aid
vantagefirstaid.com
570 Gainsborough Rd.
First Aid Training Junction
firstaidtrainingjunction.ca
232 Ellerslie Rd.
WHMIS
WHMIS stands for Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System, and the program teaches you what the labels on containers of WHMIS “controlled products” mean and how to safely handle them. WHMIS training will teach you how to use the Material Safety Data Sheets chart and recognize which products are flammable, explosive or poisonous. Knowing these symbols could potentially save your life or the lives of your coworkers one day. Employees who are around any kind of chemicals in the workplace — even in restaurants — are required to have this training. The course is usually is free and included during job training, but if not, the course costs $30 at the London Training Centre ((317 Adelaide St. S.) and $80 for an online course at ccohs.ca.
Safe Food Handling
We have all seen Kitchen Nightmares episodes where Chef Gordon Ramsay rolls in and starts yelling so hard over a filthy kitchen that the every person in the restaurant starts crying. Show Ramsay up and get the Safe Food Handling Certificate to learn how to safely cook and store food while keeping a clean workspace. Anyone pursuing a career in a kitchen should definitely pick this up not only for their own knowledge, but for the safety of their future diners.
The four-hour course touches on the subjects like food microbiology, food allergies, temperature control, cross-contamination, cleaning and sanitizing. It costs $60 per person and the certificate guarantees you meet any mandatory provincial food safety training requirements.
Computer Training
If you think your computer skills could use a bit of an upgrade, this training course may be for you. The London Training Centre (317 Adelaide St. S.) offers variety of courses, each on different subjects like Word Perfect, Publisher Excel, Simply Accounting and PowerPoint, you'll learn the basics and advanced features to master these programs and impress anyone in your office. Most offices require you to be adept at using least one of programs, and it can't hurt to upgrade your skills. The Training Centre offers all of these courses in the day for one-on-one sessions and group training at night with two-hour courses lasting three or four sessions.
For more information about training available locally, check out the London Training Centre website at londontraining.on.ca.
