In accordance with the Florida Department of Education Curriculum Framework for the AS degree in Human Services, this certificate program is part of the Human Services AS degree program.
A College Credit Certificate consists of a program of instruction of less than sixty (60) credits of college-level courses, which is part of an AS degree program and prepares students for entry into employment.
This program offers a sequence of courses that provides coherent and rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare for further education and careers in the Human Services career cluster; provides technical skill proficiency, and includes competency-based applied learning that contributes to the academic knowledge, higher-order reasoning and problem-solving skills, work attitudes, general employability skills, technical skills, and occupation-specific skills, and knowledge of all aspects of the Human Services career cluster.
The content includes but is not limited to knowledge of the human services system, roles of human service workers in various settings specifically youth work environments. Students must be able to demonstrate a knowledge of human development as it relates to specific age groups; develop a professional awareness of youth work; understand and implement a youth development approach in various environments; develop a capacity to design and implement programs consistent with the needs of youth in relation to available community resources.
This College Credit Certificate program is designed to be the first educational step to a professional career in Human Services with emphasis in Youth Services or other positions that are a part of the social services delivery. It will provide credit course work and field experience for those employed in youth service occupations as well as those who seek to enter the profession without experience.
The College Credit Certificate will focus on broad introductory principles of human services specific to the good practices and techniques of a youth development approach. Course work will prepare students to function as youth workers in community-based, residential, group home and other youth work environments.
Accreditation:
The Human Services Program AS degree is not currently accredited by The Council for Standards in Human Services Education (CSHSE); however, students will be eligible to sit for the Human Services-Board Certified Practitioner(HS-BCP™) examination after the completion of the AS program and 3 years of work experience with a minimum of 4,500 hours.
Application Process:
Students must meet the college admissions requirements. No additional application process is required for the Human Services Program.