Steeltown schools help IT pros hone management skills

It’s back to school for IT professionals looking to hone their managerial and leadership skills. The Hamilton-based McMaster University and Mohawk College Bachelor of Technology Partnership is introducing a certificate/diploma program in technology leadership for the fall term.

This new certificate/diploma program, aimed at technologists already working in industry, offers courses in financial systems, entrepreneurship, organizational behaviour, project management, strategy formulation and interpersonal skills. Classes can be taken part-time, evenings and Saturdays, to avoid conflicting work schedules.

“We feel that a lot of people currently in the technology business who have technical degrees or diplomas may actually need to work on developing their management skills,” said Art Heidebrecht, executive director of the McMaster-Mohawk Bachelor of Technology Partnership.

Heidebrecht said that managerial and leadership skills are in high demand because leadership courses such as financial management, human resources and project management, are not typically covered in technical degrees. 077834

Related Content

Ten gotta-have-'em IT skills employers want now
Business initiatives such as enterprise mobility, data center consolidation and unified communications are driving demand for expertise in new technology areas and reinforcing the importance of mastering the fundamentals

McMaster, Mohawk offer business courses for IT pros
A Canadian university and community college join forces to give experienced technology executives the operational and managerial skill sets they might lack otherwise. Choose your area of study

Clamour for the Renaissance IT professional
The new business-focused IT structure requires skills in multiple disciplines. "We are becoming versatilists rather than technologists," says an IT governance expert. Today IT workers need to be adept at understanding business issues and applying their technical experience to develop solutions.