As a result of the industry demand, colleges throughout the country have dramatically increased the number of business management programs. In Ontario for instance, last year's enrollment in college business programs increased 19 per cent from 2006. The number of one-year post-graduate certificates increased by 45 per cent in the same time period. The motivation for the students applying to the program is to add more practical skills on top of what they learned in their liberal arts degree. 

Quite often university grads who are already working feel there is no room for them to grow in their current position and realize they need more credentials to move up the ladder. While getting an MBA is prestigious and highly regarded in the business world, even an MBA doesn't necessarily guarantee success in finding better employment. Post-diploma and certificate business programs offered by colleges are getting more acknowledgement. Specialized diplomas are on the rise, be it event management, sustainable business, or international business. College programs are known for their hands-on approach, practical skills, and a direct connection to employers through placements, co-ops, and internships. They are much cheaper and shorter than university degrees and often offer pathways to a degree if you decide to upgrade your diploma.

Often you don't need a degree because your years of work experience count, says Lori Karpman, a management consultant and university professor. There are some good post-graduate programs out there in Canada offered for those who are working and want to learn and expand their career opportunities. They can only climb the ladder with the education required. These programs are excellent and absolutely increase employability because you have to be really dedicated to hold a management position and do this program.

One example is the one-year graduate diploma in business administration, offered by Molson School of Business, in Concordia University in Montreal. It's designed for those who want to improve on their managerial skills without spending two, three, or four years doing an MBA, says Dr. Bakr Ibrahim, director of the program.

The core of a program is based on the managerial decision making skills for professionals. The program is meant for professionals from every area, who want to know a little bit of accounting, management, organizational behavior, marketing, and finance, so they can make more informed decisions. It's not intended to create an accountant or create a financial advisor or a marketer, says Dr. Ibrahim. But rather to acquaint them with the functional areas of business.According to Bakr, 90 per cent of applicants have no background in accounting, so the program allows the typical graduate from university to understand the basics of accounting and finance. Once [students] take these courses they have more knowledge that they need to make proper decisions and to be involved in administration, he says. It really improves the skills of any profession.

The challenge for students in any profession is to go back to school. For some students it's very difficult to go back to school after many years. It takes a few sessions before they get back in the studying mode, but it usually doesn't take too long.

A lot of colleges now offer a range of specialized business diploma programs. Students can choose a program tailored to their specific needs, such as human resources, public relations, sustainable business management, and international business, just to name a few. 

For instance, Seneca College in Toronto has introduced a Green Business Management program, which provides students with an advantage in a very competitive business environment. 

Specifically, they learn the project and change management skills needed to help an organization implement environmental sustainability into its bottom-line, says Chris Dudley, director of the program. This eight-month program has a placement component embedded into it so students gain business experience while they learn.

The program is designed to provide ways to increase business productivity through sustainability initiatives, covering important concepts such as change management strategies, leadership, corporate social responsibility, , and business case development all in relationship to sustainability initiatives, says Dudley. This knowledge is desired in the business world, and will allow graduates to differentiate themselves by increasing their own personal brand, he says.  Graduates will be able to lead sustainability efforts from wherever they are employed in an organization.

The great advantage of a college education is practical learning and connection to the employers. There is a mandatory seven month placement that is weaved into the eight month program. Students work on a sustainability project for a company as they are learning, while placements focus on assisting businesses in developing and implementing sustainability projects and practices. This provides students with real world learning as well as expert instruction, says Dudley. 

ÔÇÿGraduates of the program find themselves working in a range of profit and nonprofit businesses in Canada and around the world. A number of graduates have also become ecopreneurs, starting up their own businesses with a green focus.'

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