Continuing & Professional Education

Communication Skills for the Workplace

Earn a Certificate

Take a Course 8

“I noticed pro­found tran­si­tions in me, my con­fi­dence, and lan­guage flu­en­cy. I also felt more com­fort­able talk­ing to my class­mates than I did when I start­ed the course. The con­fi­dence was more notice­able towards the end of the sec­ond course.”

— Anar Saju, past student

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The Com­mu­ni­ca­tion Skills for the Work­place (CSW) Cer­tifi­cate is a lan­guage-based learn­ing cer­tifi­cate intend­ed for inter­na­tion­al speak­ers of Eng­lish work­ing in the pub­lic or pri­vate sec­tor, or for indi­vid­u­als look­ing to increase their employ­a­bil­i­ty by build­ing their knowl­edge of work­place com­mu­ni­ca­tions and cul­tur­al competencies. 

This course is designed to pre­pare par­tic­i­pants for inter­act­ing in the work­place, while at the same time learn­ing how to com­mu­ni­cate effec­tive­ly and under­stand how their com­mu­ni­ca­tion affects oth­ers in the work­place. The micro­cre­den­tials will focus on the acqui­si­tion of lan­guage skills and com­pe­ten­cies, soft skills, and cul­tur­al com­pe­ten­cies need­ed for suc­cess in the work­place. Top­ics cov­er effec­tive com­mu­ni­ca­tion, pro­fes­sion­al writ­ing, prob­lem solv­ing, clar­i­ty in speech, and more.

This pro­gram is intend­ed for non-native Eng­lish speak­ers with a min­i­mum CLB Lev­el 5/IELTS score of 5.0. If you’re inter­est­ed in writ­ing and com­mu­ni­ca­tions cours­es for native Eng­lish speak­ers, please browse through some of our offer­ings in the area.

                                                                                                                                       

A program for English as a second language speakers to enhance your soft-skills

Can be completed entirely online

CAD $500 per course – pay as you go

Automatically earn a microcredential badge upon successful completion of each course

Complete 5 courses to earn a University of Alberta Certificate

Includes access to our Student Engagement Centre

Earn a Certificate
in Communication Skills for the Workplace
  • University of Alberta parchment in as little as 1 year
  • Pay as you go

Choose any five courses

5 courses needed to graduate with this UAlberta Certificate and become a UAlberta Associate Alumni.

Only interested in taking a course? You can register for a course without applying and enrolling in the program – browse our Communication Skills for the Workplace courses. If later you decide to apply for the full program, the course you’ve taken will be applied toward your Certificate as long as it is still part of the program plan at the time of your application. Please note, program requirements are subject to change over time.

Course planner schedule-at-a-glance

1. Download the Application for Program Admission form.

2. Submit your completed application, along with a $100 admission fee.

  • Min­i­mum lan­guage require­ments CLB lev­el 5 or 5.0 IELTS. Par­tic­i­pants with­out a lan­guage score may need to take a place­ment test $CAD80.
  • Cours­es are avail­able to cohorts or indi­vid­u­als wish­ing to enroll

Complete any 5 of the 8 courses listed to earn a University of Alberta Certificate. Earn a micro-credential badge for each course taken.

You can register for a course without applying and enrolling in the program.

Your program requirements

Once you are admitted, you can verify your program requirements by logging into the University of Alberta’s student portal, Bear Tracks, to view your Academic Advisement.

Applying for Graduation

Submit your request to graduate to obtain your credential, receive a parchment, and (optionally) attend the graduation ceremony. Apply for graduation between November 1 and February 1 via Bear Tracks.

  • If you haven’t previously completed a program application, you must do so in order to qualify for graduation.
  • You must apply for graduation even if you do not plan to attend the ceremony.
  • An appli­ca­tion fee of $100 is required for admis­sion into the program.
  • Tuition is paid on a course-by-course basis as you reg­is­ter for your classes.
  • Cours­es are GST-exempt.
  • Some cours­es require a text­book at an addi­tion­al cost.
  • Eli­gi­ble for the Cana­da-Alber­ta Job Grant.
Bursaries and funding opportunities
Funding source
Eligibility
Amount
Apply by
Canada-Alberta Job Grant 

Available for businesses in all sectors across Alberta

 Two-thirds of the training costs (up to 100% if hiring an unemployed Albertan)
any time
Canada Training Benefit 

Residents of Canada, 25-65 years old, who have $10,000-150,000 in earnings for work.

 $250+
income tax return
Skilled Immigrant Micro-Loan 

Whether you intend to work in the same field you trained in outside of Canada, or you wish to apply your transferable skills to a new career, this low-interest loan helps you cover the cost of education and related living expenses.

 Up to $15,000 loan
N/A
Alumni Professional Development Grant 

Any graduate of the University of Alberta

 Up to $500 anually
monthly deadline
HRDF 

Employed by the University of Alberta as Non-Academic Staff (NASA)

 $750 annually
Dec / Mar / Jun / Sep

Looking for something different?

Over 300 courses and 40 programs to help you build the skills you need.

Ready to start this program?

  • Questions: elsinfo@ualberta.ca
  • Course planner schedule-at-a-glance