Applications are now open for the local non-profit and business communities to take part in leadership development seminars held at Brock University’s Goodman School of Business.

The seminars, offered through Goodman’s Centre for Innovation, Management and Enterprise Education (CIMEE), are part of two different certificate programs that are currently open to the public.

Developed in partnership with more than 600 non-profit managers who provided feedback about their professional development needs, the Non-Profit Leadership Certificate program runs over 10 sessions and is open to any non-profit employee looking for the resources to lead teams and organizations.

The Professional Leadership Development Certificate program is offered in partnership with the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce over six sessions and is open to anyone from the business community who wants to take their career to the next level.

Customized for each audience, both programs cover topics such as finance for non-financial managers, change management, coaching and leadership.

The programs are set to begin in May and are currently accepting applications online.

CIMEE runs several program offerings throughout the year, many of which are customized to meet the needs of specific organizations.

The NextGen Municipal Leadership program finished last month and graduated 19 employees from the City of Niagara Falls, City of Port Colborne, Town of Lincoln, Town of Pelham, Niagara Region, Niagara Regional Police Service and Niagara Workforce Planning Board.

Darrin Forbes, an inspector at the Niagara Regional Police Service, was part of the most recent group that received their certificates.

After moving from staff sergeant to inspector in October, Forbes was on the lookout for professional development opportunities that would help to make him a better leader.

“As you climb higher in the ranks, the job becomes more administrative and that’s where CIMEE’s courses come into play,” he said.

“These courses are geared towards understanding the bigger picture. As you gain responsibility, your picture becomes bigger. When I was in charge of one unit, that was my world, but now I need to look at everything and how it fits together. These courses opened my eyes to see that bigger picture and to understand how to be a better leader.”

Goodman School of Business Dean Andrew Gaudes said the courses open up professional development opportunities for anyone in any industry looking to expand their business knowledge.

“One of the great things about business education is that you never have to decide what you want to do when you grow up because it’s always relevant and necessary,” he said.

“Wherever there are a few people together who want to do something, you need people who can help manage and organize resources and create direction. Anyone can benefit by studying business and management, and this is a great example of that.”

Interested professionals can apply online for the Non-Profit Leadership Certificate and the Professional Leadership Development Certificate programs.