Human Resources Management Postgraduate Certificate
Graduated 2012
The inspiration for Robert Forsyth’s career plans stemmed from his part-time experience working in customer service at Future Shop. It wasn’t the job itself; it was the questions it made him ask. “I saw a lot of people coming and going,” says Forsyth, who was studying french literature and employment relations at the University of Toronto at the time. “I figured the turnover was because it wasn’t the right job for them, and not really making them happy. I wanted to look into those questions as a career.” To answer those questions, Forsyth looked for a post-graduate program that would help him specialize in human resources skills. He found it with George Brown College’s Human Resources Management Certificate.
During the 12-month program, Forsyth was introduced to a wide set of industry-specific skills and an internship at the City of Oakville that helped him land a municipal human resources job right after graduation. “We got to work on HR information management systems that showed us a sneak peak of what we’d be working on once we finished the program. Plenty of the software and interview tools I use at work every day today,” he says. As a recruitment coordinator at the City of Hamilton, Forsyth facilitates the hiring of hundreds of city employees each year, from transit to business services to summer student interns.
Beyond the hard skills he gained from the program, Forsyth also found on campus a community of like-minded peers whom he still keeps in touch with today. “Classes were closer to 20 to 30 people, and you got to know your classmates better,” he says. “I made a lot of friends there, because we had the same interests and career goals. I still have a monthly pub night I go to with friends from George Brown College.”
Robert’s Advice for Success
“The world is yours for the taking—if you don’t ask you won’t receive! Always keep your options open, and look for opportunities wherever possible.”
