Portage College – Recession-proof careers to safeguard your future

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There is no job immune to recession but there are some that are more resistant. The safer known industries can include jobs within health care, entrepreneurial or trades and technology.

Training up or shifting careers are great tactics to beat the potential slump in economy and here are some options Portage College can offer.

Healthy people in body and mind

During a downturn in the economy, people’s stress levels can increase - creating a high demand for mental health workers.

The Community Social Work (CSW) program provides the education and skills required to open doors for employment in many different areas.

Social workers are found on staff in hospitals, mental health clinics, treatment centres, correctional facilities, corporate HR departments, senior centres, government employment with child protection services, shelters and in public and private school systems.

For certain facilities it is a necessity to have a social worker on staff, and in many of those cases, a diploma in social work is the minimum requirement before hiring.

Businesses also hire social workers to create workplace programs to manage conflict and provide employee assistance.

Entrepreneurs and working from home

The next two programs won’t see robotics or automation in their place any time soon. If you are a person who enjoys the arts or wants a job at home or within your community our Native Arts and Culture (NAC) program and Hairstyling Program could provide you with a lot of options for bringing in hard earned money.

NAC provides education in traditional ways of the arts such as hide tanning. Not only is this art program unique and not found elsewhere, but it is transferable to bachelor programs in other institutions. Not only does NAC include many Indigenous art forms but it also includes modern art and design courses such as welding and fine arts.

The NAC program is also transferable to the University of Alberta and the Alberta University of Arts. This is the first time that traditional Indigenous arts have been recognized for credit at non-Indigenous post-secondary fine arts institutions which gives foresight within the art world in regards to traditional art forms.

Another creative art form that we know stands up to recession is the hairstyling and beautification industry. As populations grow, so does hair, which is an essential service in any community. This is a profession where you can work in an established business or create your own in your community out of your home.

People train up. Boost your current career

If you’re happy in your current job, get extra training to increase your chances of remaining employed. You don’t need to get a loan and you can pick Continuing Education training that employers would value.

All of our programming faculties at Portage College work with our Continuing Education department to offer training opportunities through our Faculty of Extension offerings. Here’s where you can get those courses to boost your resume showing you are a value to the company and you have a vested interest in continually learning and growing through change.

Courses are offered regularly, and if you want a team of people to take a course that isn’t listed, we could deliver it!

We also have many other program areas such as:

• Academic Foundations
• College Preparation
• Accounting
• Business
• Natural Resources Technology
• Baking
• Culinary Arts
• Pre-hospital Care
• Nursing
• Child Care
• Educational Assistant
• Electrical
• Steamfitter-Pipefitter
• Welding
• Heavy Equipment Operator
• Diesel Engine Technology
• Heavy Equipment Technician
• Power Engineering
• SAGD De-oiling and Water Treatment
• University Transfer