Diploma on

Administrative, Personal Assistant & Secretarial Duties

A Program to teach how to become a valuable, well-trained PA, Secretary and Administrator

Knowledgeable, efficient administrative assistants, PAs and private secretaries are very valuable to their executives and to the enterprise for which they work, so they are in great demand and command good salaries and other benefits - good, well-trained secretaries/PAs/administrators are valued and sought after - no enterprise can get along without one (or more) of them.  Their range of duties can be wide, and can vary considerably; this Program provides essential training and knowledge about very many of them, including office management principles, staff matters, accounts and IT.  The Program also teaches about supervision of office personnel, and how to prepare for promotion to managerial posts.

ALSO:

(1) Anybody enrolling for this Programme before 31st December 2024 will also be enrolled FREE for a Course on Strategy, Quality & Contemporary Business Concerns; the only requirement is that you provide your personal email address to the College on enrolment.

(2) During the “Covid-19” (Corona) virus pandemic and in lock-down periods, affected Members may be allowed to take Assignments (home-based course work) instead of or in addition to sitting Examinations to complete the Programme; details can be provided on request after enrolment onto the Programme.

  • Summary of major topics
  • What is included
  • Related courses
  • Study & Career development

Module 1 - The Private Secretary

  • The working relationship between the private secretary/PA and executives or the boss

  • The roles and work of a private secretary/PA

  • Personal Attributes and Skills Needed

  • Adapting to change and the criteria for success

Module 2 - Secretarial Work-Environments

  • The modern commercial world and types of business enterprises,
  • Office functions, location, planning and layouts, furniture, equipment
  • Safety, accident prevention, the working environment
  • Office personnel, supervision and harmony

Module 3 - Information, Records and Filing, Computer Systems and Databases

  • Records and sources of information
  • Collating, analysing and presenting information in the required format
  • Filing systems, references, record retention policy
  • Computer systems, databases and data security

Module 4 - Oral Communication, Forms, Business Documents

  • Principles of effective communication
  • The importance of good communication and the need for a two-way flow
  • The purposes of internal communication
  • Oral and unspoken communications, written communications, forms and documents

Module 5 - Business Letters

  • The purposes and features of business letters
  • Layouts of business letters and their appearance
  • Planning and drafting business letters
  • Note-taking, shorthand, dictation

Module 6 - Memoranda, Reports, Word Processing, Computer Mediated Communication

  • Internal vertical and horizontal communication and organization charts
  • Memoranda, routine reports, special reports
  • Telecommunications, email, computers, viruses
  • Desktop publishing and computer mediated communication

Module 7 - Meetings

  • Written confirmation and records of informal discussions, decisions and agreements reached
  • Formal meetings: preparations required, notice, agendas, conduct of meetings
  • Minutes of meetings, notes, rules, writing-up, distribution, confidentiality
  • PA work involved in event management, conferences and conventions

Module 8 - Incoming and Outgoing Mail, Post and Dispatches

  • Receipt of mail, opening and PA actions on behalf of the executive
  • Centralised despatch departments or post-rooms, equipment, postal rates
  • Methods of postal transmission, classifications of mail, couriers
  • Preparing typed letters and documents for despatch, checks to make

Module 9 - Reception Work, Visitors, Appointments, Travel Arrangements

  • The reception, importance to the organisation, reception furniture, decor, appearance
  • The appearance and personal attributes of good receptionists
  • The main types of reception work, handling visitors
  • Making appointments, the appointments book, making travel arrangements

Module 10 - Money, Banking & Financial Matters,

  • Manual and computerised bookkeeping and accounting, principles of double-entry bookkeeping
  • The ledger, the debit and credit sides, the cash book, sales book, purchases book, returns books
  • Banking, cheques, checking and paying bills, petty cash
  • Ordering and storing stationery, literature and other items, checking incoming deliveries

Module 11 - Supervision of Office Personnel (1): Recruitment, Interview, Selection, Induction, Training

  • PA/private secretary involvement in internal and external recruitment
  • Job analysis, job descriptions, employee specifications
  • Advertising vacancies, sorting application forms, employment interviews, selecting candidates
  • Probationary periods, induction, training, mentoring, job redesign

Module 12 - Supervision of Office Personnel (2): Management, Teams, Counselling, Promotions

  • The 5 key functions of management, the PA/secretary as office supervisor
  • Workgroups and building a cohesive team, styles of leadership
  • Discipline in the office, employee counselling, dealing with arguments, resignations
  • Preparing for promotion to supervisory and managerial posts

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE MODEST CIC FEE

 Your CIC Fee includes:-

  • Your enrolment/registration with Cambridge International College, and your own high-quality, professionally produced and illustrated comprehensive International CIC Study & Training Publications.
  • A detailed, professional ‘Study & Training Guide’ with full instructions on how to study to achieve success and gain top results.  The Guide includes detailed advice on how to answer Self-Assessment Tests, Training Tests and Examinations.
  • Self-Assessment Tests and Recommended Answers for them, and a Progress Chart.
  • Two Progress/Training Tests (which can be used as ‘Past Papers/Questions’) with an optional Tutorial Support Service.
  • The Final Examination** sat under Invigilation/Supervision in your own area - full details, guidance and explanation of how your Examination will be arranged and how Invigilation is conducted will be provided when you register.  Note, CIC arranges Examinations in over a hundred countries worldwide for thousands of Members every year; it is a flexible, straightforward process and will be arranged when YOU are ready to write your Examination.  **An Assignment Option is available instead of an Exam for the ‘Covid-19’ (Corona) virus period.
  • The prestigious Cambridge International College Diploma on successful completion of your Study & Training and on passing the Final Examination.
  • Your personal page on CIC’s Member Services website with access to results, despatch details, advice and guidance, and more: www.cambridgeinternationalcollege.co.uk
  • Regular information and news including: Newsletters with details of special offers and new Programs and much more; and Competition Forms; by email and post.

Everything needed for your Study & Training success is included in the CIC Fee.

Additionally:

  • Further Study and Training Advice, and Assistance is available before, during and after CIC Study & Training; Members may ask CIC’s team of experienced Consultants for advice on further study and Programmes to improve career prospects and advancement. 
  • CIC’s experienced and helpful staff can assist with numerous special requests, such as reference/recommendation letters and transcripts, and more, by post and email.

This Program provides the foundation for a solid, reliable career, as well as being the springboard to many HR, supervisory, managerial, event management and administrative positions - the variety of organisations needing efficient and competent personnel to fill all of these types of post is huge.

Further study at Diploma and Honours Diploma level is available in a range of English, Office, Administrative and HR/Personnel Programs, to increase knowledge, value, confidence, and career advancement.

There is a wide range of options for further study - see the "Related Courses" section for suggestions - which include Honours DiplomasABA & Baccalaureate Programmes, and the 'Double Award' EBA & BBA Bachelor degree Programme.  You are welcome to ask the College for advice, and of course you can see details of these Programmes on this website.

Administrative, Personal Assistant & Secretarial Duties
Sign up to this course

Payment Options:

British Pounds:
Single payment of £200
Or 3 monthly payments of £90
US Dollars:
Single payment of $400
Or 3 monthly payments of $180
Euros:
Single payment of €300
Or 3 monthly payments of €135
Fee payment methods

Duration & Assessments

The Study Period is one year (12 months) but this is flexible; the Diploma can be completed in a shorter period, or you can take longer if necessary.

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To gain your Diploma you need to sit and pass an Examination** (based entirely upon the contents of the Study Materials provided to you in your Program Fee). Full and clear details about preparing for and sitting the Exam are provided to you, including in your Study & Training Guide, when you enrol. The clear information explains when, where and how your Examination will be arranged - it is a simple and straightforward process, which hundreds of thousands of other Members have successfully gone through. If you study well and follow the advice in the CIC Study & Training Guide you should be able to achieve high marks and good grades - and obtain your prestigious International Diploma!

**An Assignment Option is available instead of an Exam for the ‘Covid-19’ (Corona) virus period.

(See the College Prospectus, or the “Frequently Asked Questions” section on the “Contact Us” page of this website, if you would like more information.)

Result

An international accredited qualification attesting to valuable, career-based skills, competence and ability. Confidence and ability to undertake higher study.

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