Herzing Blog

Updated December 2023

Working with at-risk populations is central to community service work.

CSWs are trained to support people dealing with serious life challenges, which may include addictions, mental health disorders, cases of domestic violence, and other, high-stress situations that sometimes lead to acute crises.

When we experience a crisis, our ability to cope and make decisions is seriously impaired. We need specialized support to regain control and find an effective solution to the problem at hand.

CSWs are trained to provide that support, and stop individuals in crisis from harming themselves or others. No easy task!

Non-violent crisis intervention training typically introduces students to a step-by-step model—a guide they can follow to help others get through traumatic experiences in the safest, most effective way possible.

In this post, we walk current (and prospective) CSW students through the seven-step approach many social workers use.

Kierstin Whitney didn’t always have a clear focus for her career path. She just knew that she wanted to have a positive impact on people’s lives.

After high school, she worked a bunch of different jobs, taking note of what she enjoyed and looking for new opportunities to grow and learn. She finally realized her true passion was health and safety.

It was intimidating to go back to school, but she knew she needed some specialized training. She took the leap, enrolled in the online OHS program through Herzing College—and never looked back.

We caught up with Kierstin to find out how she found the whole experience.

Here’s how that conversation went.

Ashley Benish first developed an interest in accounting while working in customer service at a bank.

She really enjoyed working with numbers, solving problems, and helping clients with their banking needs.

When she became a mom, she stepped away from the work world for a few years to focus on raising her children. But she always intended to get back into the accounting field.

And when her kids got a little older and the time was right to upgrade her skills, Ashley chose the Accounting and Payroll Administrator program at Herzing College.

We spoke with her recently to see how she found the whole experience.

Here’s her story.

Herzing Cup winner Sam Brownell (center) with Career Development Director Caroline Glowatski (left) and Director of Educational Funding Michelle Moncado (right)

Each year, Herzing College hosts a competition among its campuses for the best student presentation.

The national winner gets flown to the College’s annual meeting to share his or her story and receive the Herzing Cup.

The field of computer networking has evolved tremendously over the past 20 years, from the dawn of the internet to the increasingly complex information systems we use today.

Sergio Gonzalez has been working in the field since those early days, graduating from his first technical engineering program in 1998.

Since then, he's earned degrees in information technology and education, and accumulated over 20 years of experience in networking and IT security roles.

Sergio's passion for teaching brought him to Herzing College, where he's recently become an instructor for the Computer Networking Technology program.

This week, we chatted with Sergio to learn more about his fascinating background and get an inside look at the program.

Meet the instructor, learn about networking careers, and find out what to expect in class.

Updated December 2023

Supply chain management is a vast field. Think about the process a single piece of clothing or technology goes through, from point of origin to your local store shelf. 

There are raw materials to source, a manufacturing process, warehousing, distribution, global transportation logistics, and local delivery networks.  

At each stage, there are contracts to be made, negotiations, problem-solving, costs to manage, orders to track, and clients to update. 

Supply chain management is a highly complex, global industry with many areas of specialization and potential career paths. 

Photo: Chika Modozie (far left) standing with local community members (Source: cbc.ca)

Chika Modozie started out with a degree in business administration, but she always knew business wasn’t her true calling. She wanted a career where she could help people in need.

After immigrating to Canada almost 10 years ago, Chika found herself looking at new training options. She landed in Herzing’s Community Support Worker (CSW) program, which completely changed the course of her life.

Now, Chika works as a police officer in a special outreach unit focused on crime prevention and community building.

We interviewed her about her experience in community support worker training and how her career path unfolded since graduation.

Find out what to expect in class, learn more about the social services field, and see if this career is right for you.

Photo: Michael Ledda at his home in Winnipeg

Before Covid-19 wreaked havoc on Winnipeg, Michael Ledda was living life as usual. He was busy working full-time as a chef, happy with his job, and making a steady income to support his three children. 

But when the lockdown started, Michael’s entire world quickly crumbled. Before long, he was out of a job. Things got so tight financially, he had to sell off his possessions just to pay rent. 

Sadly, Michael’s story is not unique. So many Winipeggers lost their jobs during the pandemic, the CBC wrote an article about it, featuring Michael and several others. 

Jenna Boholij (Herzing’s Director of Marketing Communications) read the CBC story and was so moved by Michael’s struggle, she proposed an idea.  

Why not offer him a full scholarship, so he can re-train and get back on his feet? 

The entire Herzing team got on board and reached out to Michael with the offer. He happily accepted and is now enrolled in the Broadcasting and Media Communications program. 

This week, we chatted with Michael to find out how his life has changed since going back to school. Here are the highlights of our conversation.

When Amalia Aplaon immigrated to Canada from the Philippines in 2019, she already had a bachelor's degree and a caregiver certificate. But she quickly realized that without Canadian credentials, it would be much harder to find a good job in health care.

So, after spending years as a stay-at-home mom, Amalia took on the challenge of returning to school. She enrolled in medical office assistant (MOA) training, completed her practicum, and graduated just as COVID-19 was sweeping across the country.

The pandemic caused a hiring freeze at many clinics, making finding a job very difficult for new MOA graduates. But Amalia persevered and in just one and half months, she got hired as a primary care assistant.

We interviewed Amalia to learn more about her experience at Herzing and what it's like to transition from full-time mom to full-time healthcare professional.

Read on for the full story.

Photo: Karl Raynes at his home office in Winnipeg

When he moved to Canada in 2013, Karl Raynes wasn't planning on starting a business.

He got a steady job at a law firm, thought about pursuing a career in computer networking, and even took at few IT courses.

And then one day, Karl and his fiance came up with a brilliant idea for a home-care services company.

He immediately began looking for business training that would help him launch the company and make it a success.

Karl discovered Herzing College and enrolled in the Business Administration program.

This training is designed for people who want to work in an office, manage a team, or start their own business. 

Karl signed up, worked through the courses, and actually launched his company while completing the internship.

We interviewed Karl a few months after graduation to get his review of the Business Administration program, and see how the company is going so far.

Here's what we found out.