Occupation
Administrative assistant
Administrative assistants keep an office or team running: handling correspondence, maintaining files and databases, arranging meetings and travel, and preparing the documents other people depend on. The role is the practical backbone of most public-sector and corporate offices.
Also known as: Administrative officer · Admin assistant · Office assistant · Secretary
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Occupation content
Part of Government, policy and administration
A visual day in the work
What the work involves
Draft, format, and proofread letters, reports, and internal documents.
Maintain filing systems, databases, and shared document libraries.
Schedule meetings, book rooms and travel, and circulate agendas and papers.
Screen incoming calls, mail, and email and route them to the right person.
Process expense claims, invoices, and routine purchasing paperwork.
Take minutes and follow up on the actions recorded in them.
Entry-route stepper
How people commonly enter
A secondary school qualification plus an office administration certificate or diploma.
Direct entry with employer training, often after clerical or reception experience.
A college business administration program with an office placement.
Temporary or agency placements leading to a permanent administrative post.
Typical training: Certificate or college diploma
Licensing: Not typically licensed
Work-context map
Typical work context
- Desk based
- Team based
- Predictable routine
- Hybrid office
Desk based · Team based · Predictable routine · Hybrid office
Related interests
- Conventional (organizing)
- Social (helping)
Conventional (organizing) · Social (helping)
Related aptitude preparation
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Skills to practise
Practice suites
Related learning
Family-level learning links for Government, policy and administration.
Official sources
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Labour-market context (not part of exploration match)
This is broad family-level context for Government, policy and administration in Canada, not a figure for Administrative assistant. It does not affect matching scores and is not an eligibility determination.
This is a broad Government, policy and administration family. Explore the official profile for the chosen occupation; entry education and training can differ within the family.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Government, policy and administration: education pathways
Some roles in Government, policy and administration may be regulated. Confirm whether the specific role requires registration, certification, or a jurisdiction-specific licence.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Government, policy and administration: licensing
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