Customer service is something different to each one of us. There are many steps in providing customer service. From knowing your customers, business, and products, to knowing your competition’s strengths and weaknesses; by the time you’re done, you will have learned how to follow thru, be customer focused, and the cost of not responding to problems.

Recently, one out of every 10 Canadian adults had a repetitive strain injury (RSI) serious enough to limit their normal activities. The grocery store industry is one of the largest industries that employs many people in various jobs (ie: cashier, meat dept.), and in various specialty departments. This course will review why women are more susceptible to injury than men, the importance of ergonomics, how to identify problems, training and the prevention of musculoskeletal injuries, the implementation of solutions and controls.

One in thirteen children has food allergies; forty percent of them have had severe allergic reactions. While food in Canada is relatively safe, we still must be aware of what we are consuming. This course enlightens us as to the different types of bacteria found in food, nutrition and reading labels, different types of fat and cholesterol, antioxidants, food additives, and in addition, genetically modified foods. This course is a must for any parent.

One of the objectives of health and safety is the promotion and maintenance of physical, mental and social well being of workers in all occupations; “every citizen of the world has a right to safe work and to a work environment that enables him or her to live a socially and economically productive life.” This course outlines occupational diseases (eg. Cancer); latency periods; acute, chronic and synergistic effects and how the body functions within its different systems. The latter half of the course covers ergonomics, the effect of the organization of work, job demands, tool design and the environment.

All workplace accidents, injuries and illnesses are preventable. There are no accidents. This course will outline the principles of control, the precautionary principle, training and communication, disposal of bio-hazardous waste, and suggestions to monitor our safety in the workplace. The course also covers legislation and goes in-depth into multiple-chemical-sensitivity: the hazards and how it affects the different systems of the body. This course certainly offers more than what meets the eye.

NASA needed a way to ensure their astronauts didn’t get ill in space from food borne illness, so they created HACCP. The course outlines the many steps involved to implement HACCP, good manufacturing practices (GMP, ISO 9000) and the differences between the two. We also examine why we should be concerned with food safety, and the micro-organisms that have the potential to kill us.

When you use a service or product, how do you know if it is the real thing or a ‘copy’? When a company is proud of its quality, they often go through a process to become ISO 9000 approved. This will mean that the company has a proven track record of quality. This course explains what standards are, how they are set, and what they can do for us.

Good communication skills are important in every profession and especially in the retail industry. As a worker in the Retail Sector, your success depends on your ability to communicate professionally with your customers, your co-workers and your managers. The course reviews basic and essential communication skills, the impact of unclear communication, verbal vs. non-verbal communication, and overcoming barriers. Upon completion of this course, you will have the abilities to understand first impressions, how to ask the right questions and diffuse anger, and how to communicate effectively.

Communication is only successful when both the sender and the receiver understand the same information. Many individuals struggle, unable to communicate their thoughts and ideas effectively and most often than not, are misunderstood. This course will share the importance of getting your thoughts and ideas across clearly. Communicating is complex and this course will explore who is the audience, verbal and non-verbal communications, the importance of feedback, and dealing with difficult people. By the time the course is complete, you will have the skills to be able to listen, speak and write skillfully, and even be able to practice your presentation skills.

The Retail Sector is a very important part of Canada’s national economy. It has the largest labour force in our economy and generates billions of dollars in sales; yet being in the sales industry is not easy. This course will explain the types of retail, how economic factors and globalization affect retail, types of ownership, trends and factors affecting them. By the time the course is complete, you will have the skills to deal with challenging customers all the while projecting a level of professionalism.

Canada enjoys the reputation of having some of the highest standards in the world, which comes from a highly regulated workplace. No one deserves to get any form of food sickness, and especially ones that can be prevented. This course contains information about the causes of food-borne illness and outlines proper food handling methods. It covers storage, time and temperature, and touches on allergies and nutrition. This course provides participants with the knowledge to prevent sickness and deaths from food borne illnesses.