Aside from examining in detail the Centennial College Court Support Services program, this article also looks at specific duties of court clerks and court reporters — the two positions for which graduates can apply.

1. Court Support Services Opens Door to Careers in
Justice
Did you know that getting your foot in the door of the Canadian justice
system in order to launch a career can be achieved in as little as one year?
Thanks to Centennial College’s Court Support Services program, students
obtain all of the know-how they need to obtain jobs as court reporters or
court clerks. Both of these positions allow students to gain a good overview
of how the justice system functions, which may allow for advancing in the
field through additional training at college level.
This Ontario College Certificate program offers both court reporter and
court clerk training through a proactive approach that sees students
obtain theoretical training which then apply to mock scenarios and a
simulated courtroom setting at Centennial College’s Progress Campus and
practical, career-oriented assignments. To further enhance this training,
students also visit family, criminal, small claims and municipal court settings
as well as various tribunal hearings. During these trips, they get to observe
how court clerks and court reports carry out their duties.
The Ministry of the Attorney General has approved the courses that students
attend in this offering. As such, students are guaranteed to be getting
relevant knowledge that is recognized by the Ministry of the Attorney
General (Ontario Court of Justice, Ontario Superior Court of Justice),
municipal courts, tribunals and boards, official examiners and court
reporting services. Among these courses are: Court Clerk – Family, Court
Monitor, Current Issues in Canadian Law, Introduction to Word Processing,
Court Registrar – SCJ – Civil/Criminal, Court Monitor, and more.
Students who successfully complete this municipal court training are
prepared to complete tasks associated with being a court reporter,
including: recording depositions and other proceedings for attorneys; taking
notes in shorthand or use a stenotype or shorthand machine that prints
letters on a paper tape; verifying accuracy of transcripts by checking copies
against original records of proceedings and accuracy of rulings by checking
with judges; providing transcripts of proceedings upon request of judges,
lawyers, or the public; records verbatim proceedings of courts, legislative
assemblies, committee meetings, and other proceedings, using
computerized recording equipment, electronic stenograph machines, or
stenomasks.
They also master tasks associated with being court clerks who: prepare
dockets or calendars of cases to be called, using typewriters or computers;

2. answer inquiries from the general public regarding judicial procedures, court
appearances, trial dates, adjournments, outstanding warrants, summonses,
subpoenas, witness fees, and payment of fines; prepare and issue orders of
the court, including probation orders, release documentation, sentencing
information, and summonses; prepare documents recording the outcomes
of court proceedings; and more.