Business Fundamentals teaches you how to better connect with your customers, how to design a marketing plan and how to work effectively with the Canada Revenue Agency. With 30 different business courses available, you can choose a certificate to specialize in a particular area, or tailor a program with any combination of courses to suit your professional development requirements and career aspirations. We offer these certificates:
Courses
Quick Facts
Credential:
Certificate Achievement
An approved non-credit program that has a formal summative assessment component, has mappped program or course outcomes, and is subject to a regular quality curriculum review process.
Campus:
Main
Any in-person components of your courses will be delivered at NAIT's Main Campus in Edmonton. View map
Delivery Options:
- On-Campus Evening and/or Weekend - Your course activity is done in-person on weekdays in the evening, or Saturdays and Sundays.
- Online Evening and/or Weekend - Your course activity is done online on weekdays in the evening, or Saturdays and Sundays.
Hands-on, industry-relevant skills
The Business Fundamentals Certificate was created so that participants can gain practical, fundamental skills in a variety of business areas. Students earn specialized certificates by choosing streams of study in Business Management and Supervisory Development. Courses incorporate discussions, individual exercises, lectures, case studies, videos and group work to give participants the best opportunities for learning not only what to do but how to do it well. We want students to walk away with strategies they can use in their workplace right away.
You can take the courses as individually listed. You may also take them together as a packaged, one-course offering which gives you credit for all five of the core courses.
Once you have completed 150 hours of Business Fundamentals courses, you will be eligible for a Business Fundamentals Certificate. If you have included specialization core courses within these hours, you are also eligible for a specialization certificate in that stream.
If you complete the Business Fundamentals Certificate and earn one specialization, you can earn a second specialization by taking additional core courses.
Blue Seal approved
The Blue Seal program was established by the Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training Board to encourage and recognize business training. If you are a certified Alberta Journeyperson in a designated trade or occupation, earning a Blue Seal proves that you meet Alberta's high industry standards and have the skills to succeed in business.
If you have a valid Alberta Journeyperson, Occupational, Qualification or Proficiency Certificate, you can enhance your current certification with a Blue Seal. You can also earn a Blue Seal if you have the equivalent to an Alberta trade or occupational certificate.
To apply for your Blue Seal, submit a completed Blue Seal application, proof of completion (such as official transcripts) and the non-refundable $50 fee to any Apprenticeship and Industry Training (AIT) office. Applications can be found on the Tradesecrets website.
Visit Tradesecrets
Specialize in what matters to you
We offer five specialized certificate streams so you can focus on the business fundamentals that matter most to your career. These shorter, streamlined certificates are structured with fewer instructional hourse and specialization-specific coursework, so you can re-skill or up-skill in the business areas best suited to your goals.
Accounting for Your Business
Want to be an effective small business owner with a solid handle on your finances? Take the business fundamentals that fit your busy schedule and suit your professional development needs by specializing in Accounting for Your Business. Accounting for Your Business is a short certificate program that teaches you the practical skills to be confident with the financial aspects of your business. You will learn a practical application of bookkeeping including day-to-day financial operational tasks and basic financial statement analysis, how to create and implement budgeting skills, and conduct payroll duties including calculations and deductions. Finally, you will learn the accounting software QuickBooks which is popular software for small to medium-sized businesses. With 68 hours of instruction, you can meet your professional development goals and career aspirations! A variety of class formats and times are offered to earn your certificate in Accounting for Your Business.
Business Management
Are you a business leader looking to sharpen your management skills? Business Management is a short certificate program with 68 instructional hours and teaches you the practical skills you need to be an effective manager or business owner. Business Management teaches you how to create a successful business model and design a marketing plan. You'll also develop key competencies such as how your business fits into the Canadian legal and legislative framework and how to work with the Canada Revenue Agency. A variety of class formats and times are offered to earn your certificate in Business Management.
Enhanced Team Leadership
Are you eager to level-up your team leadership skills? Enhanced Team Leadership is a short certificate program that teaches you practical skills to become a more effective leader. To earn this certificate, you will take core courses where you will learn about perceptions and human behaviour and techniques to motivate employees, in addition to understanding individuality and diversity as a key skill in building a strong team. To finish the 56-hour certificate, choose from a number of electives that complement core learning topics and that align with your personal leadership goals. A variety of class formats and times are offered to earn your certificate in Enhanced Team Leadership.
Supervisory Development
Are you looking to develop your supervisory skills in an interactive learning environment that suits your schedule? The Supervisory Development Certificate invites participants to explore and develop their leadership potential in order to manage projects and supervise staff on a day-to-day basis. Discover management skills, human resources practices and communication techniques essential to job growth and success. Supervisory Development is a short certificate program that teaches you the practical skills you need to be an effective manager or supervisor in various business areas. With 76 hours of instruction, you can meet your professional development goals and career aspirations!
Instructors
Mark has extensive senior management and executive experience in a number of industries including manufacturing, wholesale distribution, and professional services.
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Jim is president/owner of Right Field Marketing. He is a grad of the University of Saskatchewan and an accomplished trainer who has delivered hundreds of learning sessions in the past 20 years.
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Loren Jacula holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Master of Training and Development along with certifications in Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Appreciative Inquiry.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Registration
How do I apply/register?
Except for our Academic Upgrading and ESL programs, you do not need to apply to get started. If you would like to join us for courses, you can enrol yourself through our website and complete your fee payment by VISA/MasterCard credit or debit card.
You can proceed to the course page and select “Add to Cart” beside the course dates of your choice. You will complete your payment once you are signed into your account. A video walkthrough of this process is available at www.nait.ca/register
Visit the ESL application page for details on how to register.
Visit the Academic Upgrading program page for details on how to register.
When is the deadline to register?
This can vary depending on the course or program. Some courses may have specific registration deadlines, which will be noted under View Course Information.
Space is limited, and our courses can fill up well before the scheduled start date. For best results, we recommend enrolling as soon as you are able. If the Add to Cart button is available on the website, you are welcome to enrol.
I am trying to sign up, but the shopping cart says “already enrolled in course, add not processed.” What do I do now?
You may have begun and not finished the checkout process in the last 24 hours. The course is on your MyNAIT portal waiting for secure online payment to confirm your seat in the class.
Please log in to your MyNAIT portal complete online payment through Self Service.
I've been added to a waitlist. What does this mean?
If a course you wish to take says Add to Waitlist instead of Add to Cart, that means that there are no open seats for registration for that section.
You can add yourself to the waitlist at no charge for a chance to be enrolled if space becomes available. If you are enrolled from the waitlist, you will receive an email notice advising you to visit your student portal to make a payment.
Where possible, we recommend enrolling yourself in a different section with available space to ensure you can still complete the course even if you are not enrolled from the waitlist into your preferred section.
Do I need a NAIT student account to sign up for Continuing Education classes? How do I make one?
Yes, you do need a NAIT student account to sign up for Continuing Education classes.
If you are new to NAIT, we recommend creating a NAIT account on the MyNAIT portal. When you are asked for a NAIT ID number, leave the space blank if you have not attended or applied to NAIT before, and our system will generate a new Student ID for you.
Once your account has been made, you can search for a course and add it to your cart. You will complete your payment once you are signed into your account with your new username and password. More details including a video walkthrough of this process is available at www.nait.ca/register
Funding Options
How much does it cost?
NAIT has a flexible payment option for continuing education classes. 10% of the cost is due upon enrolment (as well as material fees if applicable). The remainder of tuition is due 30 days prior to class start date.
Please refer to the ESL and Academic Upgrading Funding webpage for the most up to date funding information.
What are my funding and payment options?
NAIT has a flexible payment option for continuing education classes. 10% of the cost is due upon enrolment (as well as material fees if applicable). The remainder of tuition is due 30 days prior to class start date.
Please refer to the ESL and Academic Upgrading Funding webpage for the most up to date funding information.
What is the cancellation and refund policy?
To be eligible for a refund, you must drop your course at least 10 calendar days before the class start date.
Please see the refund policy for more information.
Are there other fees for textbooks, memberships, hardware or equipment? If so, is it something I buy from NAIT, and how?
If textbooks, materials or software are required for an individual course, it will be noted in the course details. If software or other costs apply to a whole program, it will be listed in the program overview.
Most textbooks can be purchased directly from Shop at NAIT. The program area will provide further directions if your course requires textbooks, software or other materials that need to be purchased elsewhere.
An organization (employer or community organization) wants to pay for my Continuing Education courses by invoice. How do we set this up?
Please submit a Third Party Sponsorship form for Continuing Education courses.
This document needs to clearly identify the student, the course(s) requested, the start dates for each course requested, and the contact information of the sponsoring organization and invoicing contact. Once complete, submit the forms online.
Courses, certificates and transfer credits
How are Continuing Education certificates issued to students?
Students who successfully complete all required courses in the certificate of their choice will receive a digital credential. NAIT will automatically issue your digital certification through our MyCreds system, and you will receive an email notification once your credential is ready. Credentials typically take up to 10 business days to be processed after all grades are officially posted.
Please note: Students completing the following certificates with electives are asked to self-identify by emailing ContinuingEducation@nait.ca when they have completed the required number of electives:
- Business Analyst
- Business Fundamentals
- Conflict Resolution and Negotiation
- Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
- Enhanced Team Leadership
- Geographic Information Systems Technology
- Human Resources for the Supervisor
- Leadership Development
- Management for ASET Technology Professionals
- Medical Office Administrator
- Power Engineering Fourth Class Theory
- Process Analyst
- Water Wastewater (Water Treatment, Wastewater Treatment, Water Distribution and Collection)
- Workplace Essentials
How do I withdraw from a non-credit course?
I want to apply for transfer credit, what is the process?
If you have previous post-secondary education and want to apply for transfer credit, you must first be accepted into a credit program and have paid your non-refundable tuition deposit.
Transfer credit is granted as per the guidelines and process outlined here. Please note that processing times for transfer credit is 4-6 weeks, so we encourage you to apply as early as possible.
To apply for transfer credit, please log into your MyNAIT portal account and select Open Self-Service. Once in Self-Service, select Academic Records>Transfer Credits>Apply for Transfer Credits. Please follow the prompts, make the required payment, and click submit. If you do not click on the submit button, your transfer credit application will not be received by NAIT.
To monitor your transfer credit application, under the same section Self-Service, select Monitor Application Status. You can also locate the step-by-step Transfer Credit Application guide under the Self-Service Guide on the portal.
I am looking for a course or program
You can search for a Continuing Education program or course based on your area of interest here.
What are the prior knowledge and skill expectations (prerequisites) for Continuing Education courses?
The expectations before joining any of our programs will vary for each course and certificate. We will list prerequisites or recommended prior knowledge for each certificate on the program landing page, and for individual courses in the course information.
You can view individual course information by either clicking the course title or the View Course Information option under the course title.
Is there a recommended order to take each course in the certificate?
Most program areas list the courses in the recommended order and include any prerequisite information in the course Information description. If a course is listed as a pre-requisite, you would need to have completed the prerequisite to be able to register.
If a course is listed as recommended you can enrol without having the prerequisite on your record, which we only recommend doing if you have mastered the content of the recommended course through other work experience or education.
How long does it take to finish this program? Do I have a time limit?
Many Continuing Education programs are relatively short, and you have the benefit of taking individual courses as fit your schedule and budget.
Use the drop-down menu of dates beside the add to cart button to pick out a schedule that works for you. We recommend completing most programs within 1-2 years wherever possible to help you maintain connections in your learning from course to course.
Can I get credit towards this credential for experience or past coursework?
Technology Requirements
What are the technology requirements for virtual classes?
- Access to a personal computer running Windows 8.1 or 10/11 operating system with minimum 4GB of system memory (8 GB highly recommended) and must have administrator rights to install applications.
- Microsoft Office 365 or Office 2019/2021. Education version of Microsoft Office 365 is available for all current NAIT students.
- Students can contact NAIT Information and Technology Services for help and support
- High speed internet connection
- Microphone, speaker or headset and webcam
- Dual monitor display is highly recommended
The course description says “Mac, Chromebook or tablets are not supported." What are my options to attend virtual courses?
The statement about Windows vs. Mac is for classes that are taught on computers running Windows.
The instructor will be using a Windows operating system for these courses and will not be able to allocate instructional time navigating or troubleshooting differences between Mac/Windows OS.
Some students are comfortable doing that type of troubleshooting themselves, but there may also be software compatibility concerns for your individual course and the instructor will not able to provide direct technical support should you choose to proceed against the program’s recommendation.
What is Moodle, and how do I use it?
Moodle is the learning platform we use for many of our online courses.
If your course will be delivered through Moodle, you can access it by clicking the Moodle button right in your MyNAIT portal account. You will find your course linked in Moodle on the scheduled start date.