Andrew Skapenko – Interim Manager, Partner Relations

Hello. My name is Andrew Skapenko, and my story in Canada started at Thompson Rivers University. I came to TRU as an international student to study Human Resource Management.

I remember it as today. It was my last semester at TRU and I was working full-time while completing my full-time studies. As a student passionate about human resources, I started working towards becoming a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR). In the last semester of my journey with TRU I found myself having to juggle too may things at the same time – full time work, full-time studies and a need to start preparing to write a National Knowledge Exam (NKE) to become CPHR. There was not enough time to fit all the three things in.

Stopping my studies at TRU was definitely not an option, so was it not possible to quit my full-time work which was supporting my family. I had to make a choice, and sacrificing the prep time for the National Knowledge Exam (NKE) was the only possible option at that time. I was curious to see what would happen if I “wing” the NKE by relying only on the learning and experience I gained at TRU.

Little did I know then that by studying hard I was able to get all the required knowledge to pass the exam! Upon graduation in 2015, I was able to satisfy the work experience component of the CPHR designation and eventually became a CPHR. Now, whenever I would mention being a CPHR, I am feeling grateful to TRU for the education and knowledge to successfully pass the CPHR exam.

Fast-forwarding to today, I joined the Open Learning team as an Interim Manager, Partner Relations at Strategic Partnerships Department. Through agreements with other universities and organizations, our team creates opportunities for students to transfer their learning gained outside TRU towards their studies at TRU. Check out a full list of current agreements at the Transfer Pathways page – maybe you too can transfer credits from your past education and save time and cost to complete your degree at TRU!