Human Services Certificate
The Human
Services Assistant Certificate is designed for individuals who
like to work with people and who have a strong desire to
become employed in a helping profession.
Human Services
Assistants help social workers, health care workers, and
other professionals to provide various services to people.
The curriculum includes the following areas of study:
human services, personal and professional development,
interviewing techniques, and a supervised internship.
Students can also select from one of the following
areas of concentration: criminal justice, early care and
education, gerontology, and substance abuse.
Admission
to the human services certificate program requires a high
school diploma or equivalent and qualifying scores on the
College's placement test, or SAT or ACT.
It
is becoming more common for employers of human services
assistants to require a criminal background check, and in some
settings, workers may be required to have a valid drivers
license. Some
employers may require criminal background checks, drug
screening, and finger printing before students are allowed to
participate in supervised internship experiences.
Personal
characteristics such as a strong desire to help others,
effective communication skills, ability to be patient and
understanding with individuals with a variety of challenges,
and respect for maintaining confidentiality are especially
important in the human services industry.
Graduates
may seek employment in State and local governments (Department
of Social Services, various law enforcement agencies, etc.),
treatment facilities, nursing care/adult day care facilities,
facilities for mentally disabled and developmentally
challenged individuals, and in school districts.
Positions in a human services setting may include
intake interviewer, alcohol/drug abuse intake counselor,
social services assistant or gerontology aide.
Employment
is expected to grow much faster than the average through the
year 2014 as a result of rapid growth in the demand for social
and human services.
If additional information is needed, please contact:
Tricia Hovis
Department Chair
phovis@yorktech.edu
Important Consumer Information: Human Services Certificate