Training Programs

2022 Winter Online Training Programs

Registration coming soon, stay tuned!

For more information, please contact Susan Fox at membership@straitareachamber.ca or call 902-625-1588.

Schedule is subject to change without notice.
Students must be currently employed or operate a business
* Course will earn credits towards Atlantic Trade Business Seal!

We are very excited to be offering a NEW certification for the Atlantic Trades Business Seal (Learn More)! 

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Contact us today to find out more or to register!

info@straitareachamber.ca

902-625-1588

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Funding Program/Data Collection Note: Certificate programs are funded through the Workplace Education Initiative of NS Labour and Advanced Education. As a result, data collection is required at the beginning of your participation in any one of these programs through a Workplace Education Service Registration Intake Form.  For more information on the program and collection of data, check out the FAQ, or review our Collection, Input and Disposal of Personal Information Policy Statement.  Contact us for more details.

Workplace Education programs are supported by:

Course Descriptions

Project Management

• Determining the scope of the project and set achievable goals
• Creating a work breakdown structure
• Creating project targets and timelines
• Transferring documentation to a Gantt chart
• Developing a risk assessment
• Creating a communication plan

• Defining your strategic  position
• Completing a SWOT analysis
• Identifying your guiding principles
• Defining your positioning statement
• Cultivating a safety culture throughout your business
• Defining key elements of a marketing strategy
• Assessing the competitive landscape
• Defining your product/service offerings
• Developing and strengthening distribution channels
• Identifying components of a promotional strategy
• Understanding fundamental pricing terminology
• Identifying profitable pricing strategies
• Assessing priorities for business growth
• Developing a two-year action plan for business growth

Website Design:

• Website creation options and costs (WordPress, Square, Squarespace, Wix, GoDaddy, MotoCMS)
• Identifying the features of domains, hosts, and cpanels
• Installing a website on a webhost
• Creating and reviewing design layouts and color patterns
• Creating a website menu map and plan
• Exploring current trends in website creation
• Creating website pages linked to menus
• Branding that is consistently reflected throughout the website
• Creating site maps
• Registering a website with Google My Business and Google Analytics
• Identifying website file size rules
• Preparing photos for websites
• Applying metatags and alt text
• Creating website content
• Setting up security for websites

Quickbooks Online –

• Foundations of Accounting
• Accounts Receivable / Accounts Payable
• Inventory and Services
• Bank Reconciliation
• Year-End Procedures
• Financial Statement
• Setting Up your books for the first time or auditing a setup that is already in use

This course is for people who are looking to increase efficiency and reduce time spent on bookkeeping in
their business by using an electronic accounting system, and for people who need a variety of financial reporting tools.

Sale Funnel Marketing –

• Identifying the fundamentals of sales funnels
• Identifying the three core parts of a sales funnel
• Understanding AIDA as it relates to sales funnels
• Identifying the five stages of filling the sales pipeline
• Listing the types of sales funnels
• Setting measurable goals for a sales funnel
• Creating a lead magnet
• Creating a landing page
• Implementing copywriting basics
• Developing a nurture sequence
• Considerations for using content bundles, bumps, upsells and downsells
• Demonstrating social authority
• Growing an email list
• Using free online communities to support the sales funnel
• Exploring options for funnel automation
• Analyzing sales funnel metrics

Customer Service Excellence in a Multigenerational Marketplace

• Identifying customer service standards for great service
• Applying best practices for evaluating customer service
• Developing strategies for communicating with customers
• Identifying and navigating “moments of truth”
• Managing difficult customer situations
• Continuous improvement strategies for customer service across the generations
• Customer service models
• Building a superior customer service culture
• The RATER model
• Setting, managing and exceeding customer expectations
• Service standards and evaluations
• Trust and the customer service relationship
• Effective listening skills for customer service
• Email techniques for customer service
• The seven types of challenging customers
• The role of professionalism in customer service
• Phrases to use and to avoid
• Navigating difficult customer situations
• Reducing customer turnover
• How different generations prefer to be served as customers

This course has value for anyone in a business who interacts with customers either directly as front line staff, or indirectly as supervisors/managers. Participants will learn communications strategies and techniques to make customers happy, and keep them coming back.

Microsoft Office Suite

• More effectively use MS Excel, Outlook, Word, OneNote, OneDrive
• Exploring the Screen and Standard Toolbar and Ribbon Tools
• Templates, Editing Tools, Copy and Paste Options
• Simple Formulas, Functions and Conditional Formatting
• Date, Accounting, Numbers, Currency, Percentages
• Printing – Single sheet, portion of sheet, all sheets, Fit to page, Page Break Preview, Lock Headings at top of printouts on multiple sheets
• Setting up, navigating, sending and receiving messages
• Inserting tables, graphics, and images to emails in Outlook
• Using Folders and Rules for better email organization
• Managing multiple calendars
• Working with documents, navigating, editing text and formatting
• Using mail merge with MS Excel
• Setting up, navigating and storing files
• Utilizing OneNote with internet browsers
• Differences between Google Drive and OneDrive

This course is for businesses who want to improve their skills and maximize the benefit of their MS Office Suite to increase efficiency, improve communication, and increase productivity.

Human Resource Essentials

• Building a staffing strategy
• Identify HR needs
• Develop organizational chart
• The Hiring Process
• Create Job Analysis, Job Specification, and Job Description
• Develop recruitment strategy
• Design job postings, interview and selection process
• Design Performance Management System – goals, appraisals, disciple, termination, exit interviews
• Human Resource Best Practices
• Create and design personnel files, employee policies, procedures, training practices
• Create employee friendly work cultures
• Lead and manage meetings
• Design a Succession Planning process – goals, role of record keeping and key questions and decisions

This course is for businesses, especially trades-based businesses, to help them develop efficient and effective human resource strategies that will directly impact their ability to attract, manage and retain employees. This course forms part of the certification for the Atlantic Trade Business Skills Certification for journeypersons.

SAGE Accounting (Level 1)

• Foundations of Accounting
• Accounts Receivable / Accounts Payable
• Inventory and Services
• Bank Reconciliation
• Year-End Procedures
• Financial Statement
• Setting Up your books for the first time or auditing a setup that is already in use

This course is for people who are looking to increase efficiency and reduce time spent on bookkeeping in their business by using an electronic accounting system, and for people who need a variety of financial reporting tools.

Business 101 (Achieve Business Growth and Profitability)

• Define your strategic position
• Complete SWOT analysis
• Identify your guiding principles
• Define your positioning statement
• Cultivate a safety culture throughout your business
• Define key elements of a marketing strategy
• Assess the competitive landscape
• Define your product/service offerings
• Develop & strengthen distribution channels
• Assess your promotional strategy
• Understand fundamental pricing terminology
• Identify profitable pricing strategies
• Assess your Cost of Goods Sold and profit margin
• Define team building and characteristics of high functioning teams
• Define fundamental HR practices
• Principles of running an effective meeting
• Prioritizing, delegating and effective time management
• Define the project planning cycle
• Develop work breakdown schedule

This course is for businesses, especially trades-based businesses, to help them define strategies to help their businesses grow. This course creates stronger and more resilient businesses and forms part of the certification for the Atlantic Trade Business Skills Certification for journeypersons.

Financial Management

• Accounting definitions
• Financial Tools- deposit book, sales invoices, payment devices, online storage, log book, online payroll calculator
• Role of the auditor and audit proofing
• Financial Organization- controlling, protecting, organizing paper flow, storage
• Basic Bookkeeping- debits, credits, journal entries, different options for accounting systems
• Basic financial statement –income statements and how to read, prepare and improve them
• Government Reporting- requirements, process of completing
• Tax issues and the process of filing taxes
• Computerization Options- Sage 50, QuickBooks, mobile applications
• Pricing of products and services
• Budgeting A-Z- personal requirements, budget for business, excel spreadsheet introduction (prepare manually)
• Cash Flow projection
• Financial Analysis –liquidity, solvency, turnovers and comparison to industry standards
• Accounting Activity- review of all concepts

This course is for businesses, especially trades-based businesses, to help them improve the overall financial management of their business. This course forms part of the certification for the Atlantic Trade Business Skills Certification for journeypersons.

Transformational Leadership

Prerequisite:  Participants MUST have taken Leadership Communications (Level 1)

• Foundations of Leadership
• Leadership Styles/Supervising Styles
• Applying effective management techniques contingent on the appropriate situation
• Becoming an Employer of Choice
• Supervising/coaching/mentoring/supporting/directing
• Effectively leading a change process in the workplace
• Demonstrating the characteristics of trust / Anatomy of Trust
• Developing a strategic plan
• Applying the five levels of leadership
• Building a highly functioning team
• Applying Covey’s seven habits when leading others in the workplace
• Change Management
• Maxwell’s Model
• Maxwell’s Laws of Teamwork
• Covey’s Seven Habits / Principle Centered Leadership

This course is for businesses who are interested in developing strong leadership strategies in their workplace, resulting in highly effective and productive teams.

SAGE Accounting (Level Two)

• Review of Financial Foundation Concepts
• Configuration of Modules
• Tax codes
• Setup Inventory
• Payroll
• Add and Modify Inventory
• Financial Statement Modification
• Government Forms
• Review Financial Foundation Concepts (Financial Statements, Receipts, Invoices, Book-keeping Basics)
• Configuration – Customizing each Module: Company, Receivables, Payables, Payroll, Inventory
• Tax Codes – Changing Taxes and Customizing Codes
• Inventory – Setup, Adding Items, Combining Items, Adjusting Items
• Inventory –Process Journals Entries involving Inventory Items
• Payroll – Journal Entries and Reporting
• Financial Statements – Columns, Hidden Items, Dates, and other features
• Government reporting- Location, Forms, Print Options

This course is for people who are looking to increase efficiency and reduce time spent on bookkeeping in their business by using an electronic accounting system, and for people who need a variety of financial reporting tools.

Social Media for Business (Level 1)

• Facebook Business Accounts
• Creating great posts for your business
• Build and Track Brand Loyalty for your business
• Tracking your insights and creating a success plan
• Advertising on Facebook
• Create online strategies to engage your customers
• Introduction to Social Media Management software PostCron

This course requires you to have administrative rights to your Facebook & Twitter account if they exist and you will spent $10 in advertising. You MUST already have a personal Facebook account.

Marketing for Business

• Define & Identify core components of a marketing strategy
• Identify the USP (unique selling proposition)
• Create a positioning statement
• Develop target markets
• Create a value proposition
• Develop marketing objectives
• Gathering and analyzing data using the four main primary research methods
• Develop pricing strategies for each product in the product line
• Define costing terminology
• Identify components of a promotional campaign
• Determine the marketing budget

This course is for businesses, especially trades-based businesses, to help them define strategies to market their business. This course forms part of the certification for the Atlantic Trade Business Skills Certification for journeypersons.

Leadership Communications (Level 1)

• Create and Inspire Motivation on a Team
• Define your Strengths
• Hold a Difficult Conversation
• Keys to Leading and Impacting Others
• Motivating Others
• Influence how others see you
• Sharpen your elevator pitch

This course is for people who are looking to build confidence, influence the way they are viewed by others, and influence the motivation of others.

eCommerce Solutions for Small Business

• Course Details and Concepts
• Choosing an Ecommerce Platform, what are the options
• Products. Creating a product model, sourcing, pricing, marketing, stock management
• Customers. Migrating current customers, understanding your customer’s needs, choosing a CRM system.
• Order Process. What business rules do you need to have in place, or change?
• Platforms: Facebook Store, Etsy Store, Pinterest Store, Instagram Store, Twitter Store, Shopify Store, Kijiji Options, Drop Shippers and Bulk Digital Sales

This course is for people who are either beginning to sell online, or want to improve how they sell products online, through existing eCommerce solutions.

MS Excel for Business

• Business Tips and Essential Excel Tools
• Creating Budgets and Forecasting
• Creating Formulas / Absolute Cell Referencing
• Creating Interactive spreadsheets for your business

This course is for beginners or normal excel users who want to learn how to build effective spreadsheets for their company.

Social Media for Business (Level 2)

Prerequisite:  Participants MUST have taken Social Media Level 1

• Creating a YouTube Channel for your business
• Creating and editing media
• Creating and using a media manager for all your online content using PostCron
• Creating and using a strategy for the 5 categories of posts

This course requires you to have administrative rights to your Facebook & Twitter account and you will spend $20 in social media features.

SAGE Level 2

Prerequisite:  Participants MUST have taken SAGE Level 1

• Managing Accounts Receivable
• Managing Accounts Payable
• Advanced Payroll functions
• Bank Reconciliations
• Preparing for Year End
• Making Adjustments to Books

This course is for people seeking in-depth practice on the modules above.

Computer Tools for Business (Cloud for Business)

• Free storage on cloud services
• Automating backups to cloud
• Sharing Documents via cloud services
• Collaborating and group work via Cloud sharing
• Creating pdfs
• Free business apps
• Office Suite and Open Office via the cloud

This course is for people who are looking to find cost-effective ways to improve efficiency in their business – great for people on the move!

Each year, the Strait Area Chamber provides the business community across the region with between 15-20 certificate skills development programs each year. Programs are offered in groups 3-5 times per year at convenient times. These provincially certified courses range in topics from Sage Accounting to Microsoft Office, to Business Leadership, and a host of other topics. Courses are chosen based on the needs of our members, and if demand allows we offer programming in communities across the region. Our training is designed to increase productivity and growth in local businesses. And what’s more…. courses are free! Contact us today to find out more or to register (email info@straitareachamber.ca or call 902-625-1588).