The Public Safety Communicator Leadership Certificate is offered fully online, with three required courses and multiple elective choices. The practical focus of the courses helps you develop a range of crucial strategies and skills to lead authentically and successfully in the high-pressure public safety communicator context, including emergency dispatching. The Certificate can be completed over several years, depending upon how many courses you take each term and year.
What Will You Learn?
The certificate provides a comprehensive grounding in key skills and functions that allow you to make effective and successful decisions and solve complex problems in your high-pressure, high-stakes public safety communication leadership role. In the three required courses, totalling 108 hours, you will learn essential skills, and the theory behind them, in interpersonal and intercultural communication, critical thinking and problem-solving, and negotiation and conflict resolution. You will have the opportunity to select three or more elective courses, to total 108 hours, to address your individual skill or knowledge gaps, or to focus on personal interest. Elective choices include: human resources management, organizational behaviour, leadership, strategy, ethics, project management essentials, strategic public communications, train-the-trainer, coaching skills, neurodiversity, mindfulness and many more. The assessments in the courses allow you to apply what you learn to the challenges of your public safety communicator context.
Who Should Take This Certificate?
The Public Safety Communicator Leadership Certificate is applicable to individuals in a leadership role or aspiring to a leadership role in a high-pressure public safety communicator context. As public safety communicators, you occupy a crucial position between emergency responders and the people you serve. You make fast-paced decisions that save lives. Leading in this crucial, dynamic environment requires up-to-date expertise in communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, negotiation and conflict resolution, skills that are acquired through this Certificate.
You should take this certificate if:
- You are in a decision-making capacity in your public safety communication role.
- You are new to a management role or moving into a leadership role as a public safety communicator.
- You aspire to a leadership role in your organization or a new organization.
How Will You Benefit?
The Public Safety Communicator Leadership Certificate can help you:
- Expand the breadth and depth of essential leadership skills for a high-pressure, high-stakes professional context.
- Fill personal knowledge and skill gaps in selected areas relevant to your professional context.
- Pursue personal interest in different aspects of leadership in a public safety communicator role.
- Learn different practical and theoretical lenses through which to analyze the challenges and issues you encounter on the job.
Certificate Requirements
The certificate consists of 216 learning hours. Three (3) courses (108 hours) are required and up to five (5) courses (108 hours) are electives.
The three required courses are:
- OLCD-PALS0030 Interpersonal & Intercultural Communication
- OLCD-PALS0032 Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
- OLCD-PALS0017 Critical Thinking, Decision-Making and Problem-Solving for Leaders
Three, four or five elective courses (depending on the number hours in the courses), totalling 108 hours can be selected from:
- OLCD-PALS0018 Human Resources Management (36 hours)
- OLCD-PALS0031 Organizational Behaviour (36 hours)
- OLCD-PALS0014 Mastering Strategy (36 hours)
- OLCD-PALS0013 Ethics in Action (36 hours)
- OLCD-PALS0012 Leadership Dynamics (36 hours)
- OLCD-PALS0010 Coaching Skills for Leaders (36 hours)
- OLCD-PALS0015 Strategic Communications (36 hours)
- OLCD-ADET0010 Train the Trainer (24 hours)
- OLCD-ADED0037 Workplace Diversity and Inclusion (36 hours)
- OLCD-HEAL0010 Neurodiversity and Mental Health in the Workplace and Community (15 hours)
- OLCD-HEAL0011 Mindfulness at Work (15 hours)
- OLCD-HEAL0012 Psychological Health in the Workplace: Managing Stress and Emotions (15 hours)
- OLCD-HEAL0018 Foundations of Positive Psychology (15 hours)
- OLCD-PROJ0030 Project Management Essentials (21 hours)
The courses can be completed in any order.
Fees and Schedule
Tuition fees for the courses in this certificate vary according to the degree of interactivity, corresponding maximum class size and course length. See each course for the applicable tuition fee.
The required courses start in September, January and April. The required courses are 12 weeks long and require a minimum of 36 hours of learning engagement. The elective courses start at different times throughout the year and vary in length. Each course is offered at least once a year.
For assistance or more information, please contact openlearning@dal.ca.
Do you have prior learning or experience relevant to this certificate?
It may be possible to receive advanced standing in this certificate based on your prior learning from work or life experience. We provide two types of recognition of prior learning:
- Prior Certified Learning: Assessment of prior coursework or training through a provider, that is neither a university or college, for the purpose of advanced standing. Examples of certified learning may include military courses, accredited certificates, workplace training programs, etc.
- Prior Experiential Learning: Assessment of previous work and life learning that may be equivalent to learning outcomes of university courses / programs, for the purpose of advanced standing. Relevant prior learning may come from work or volunteer experience, participation on committees or boards, independent study, etc.
To discuss how to use your prior learning to apply for advanced standing, please contact rpl@dal.ca.