Queen's University Industrial Relations Centre (IRC) is celebrating 80 years of offering transformative professional programs.

The IRC currently offers one- to five-day professional development programs in the area of labour relations, human resources and organizational development.

“The IRC has a long history of presenting well-respected and well-attended programs and conferences to help people retrain and upgrade their knowledge and skills to adapt to the changing world of work,” says Stephanie Noel, Business Development Manager at the IRC.

Queen's University introduced the study of Industrial Relations on Oct. 12, 1937, when the university formed the Industrial Relations Section. It was the first department of its kind in the country, a true pioneer. In the ensuing years, Queen's professors, researchers, students and staff contributed more to the understanding and development of industrial relations in Canada than any other institution.

In 1960, the Queen’s Industrial Relations Section was renamed the IRC.  The IRC went on to spur the creation of the School of Industrial Relations, and two academic programs, a Master of Industrial Relations (MIR) and a Professional Master of Industrial Relations (PMIR), which now run separately from the IRC.

Through the years, the IRC helped shape public policy through its research and publications program, which informed debate on key issues and surveyed developments and trends in the industrial relations field.

Queen’s IRC is a leading provider of premium professional development programs in labour relations, human resources and organization development.

“Our programs are designed for busy practitioners, delivered by subject matter experts, and grounded in adult learning principles,” says Ms. Noel. “Courses offer a mix of lecture and hands-on opportunities to practice new skills, and include tools, templates, strategies, case studies and simulations.”

For further information, please visit the website.