This course introduces the Microsoft Office 365 productivity applications Word, Excel and the Windows environment in which they run. It covers the fundamentals of organizing files and folders, drafting business documents and reporting data in spreadsheets. This course relies entirely on practical hands-on activities that allow you to learn the concepts by practicing them regularly and obtaining feedback immediately. 

In this course, students will develop and essential English skills through review and application of basic grammar and punctuation principles necessary for successful workplace communication. Students will also learn to proofread business communication as a three-step process that includes reviewing copy once for format, once for content and mechanical errors, and once for references and numerical text. Throughout the process, students will learn and apply standard proofreading symbols.

Students will be provided with an overview of the Canadian legal system, legal institutions, and the structure of the Canadian court system. Students learn about the history of Canadian law, including an analysis of the development of the Canadian constitution. The Legal Professional Act and the Rules of the Law Society of Alberta will be discussed with a view towards professionalism and ethics in the field. There will be an examination of the roles and responsibilities of members of the legal profession. Students will learn legal reasoning and how to interpret statutes. The Doctrine of Precedent, along with current issues and developments in Canadian law, and the process of law reform will also be overviewed in this module. The Law of Equity, and how to distinguish case law and Stare Decisis will also be covered.

The focus of this course is on civil litigation. Students learn the steps for opening and maintaining a litigation file and also learn about the Alberta court litigation stages and procedures. Familiarization is built with different types of damages and claims as well as with the procedures for proving a claim. Students gain experience preparing all relevant documents (for pre-trial and trial proceedings). Proceeding to trial is also covered, along with the procedure for actions (in Provincial Court and Civil Division). Mediation and settlement are introduced.

This course covers the day-to-day manual recording of transactions for a legal business organization. This includes general journal transactions, special journals, posting to the general ledgers and subsidiary ledgers, preparing a trial balance, payroll registers, operating a petty cash fund, and reconciling bank statements. While students with be learning generally Accepted Accounting Practices (GAAP), during this module, students will become familiar with accounting practices with particular attention to the treatment and maintenance of Trust Accounts.

This course advances student understanding and knowledge of the differences between reporting and non-reporting companies. Students analyze agency relationships, liabilities, and methods of securing financial transactions and acquiring assets. Different types of financial arrangements, the nature of security, credit devices, priorities, and assignments are covered. There is also a review and consolidation of the structure of businesses, their creation, and the requirements for their transfer. The procedures involved in various commercial transactions, from the opening of a file to the closing, are presented. Students become familiar with typical documentation dealing with a variety of commercial transactions: commercial leasing, commercial financing of real and personal property, and commercial sales.

This course builds on the skills learned in the Student Success Strategies course or its equivalent. It provides information on how to use the communication skills learned in order to make a successful presentation to a prospective employer. Students also learn how to uncover the hidden job market and identify employment opportunities. Self-assessment during this course allows students to identify their personal skills that are transferable to the workplace and to describe these skills to a prospective employer. Students may be videotaped during a mock interview and will participate in the analysis of their performance in the “interview”.

Students will be placed in actual work places related to their field of study and will be expected to act as a regular employee in order to gain the valuable real world experience that so many employers seek. Students are encouraged to find their own work experience placement; however, once placed, continuation in that placement is mandatory.