Training, the key to your organization’s success.

Organizations building excellence in the workplace succeed when they understand and address their key areas of concern. Here are some things we’ve learned from organizations. They see three broad areas as the linchpins to their success:

1.  Succession. An effective leadership pipeline to build a deep bench and mitigate the impact of losing the baby boomers.
2. Execution. Management systems (operations management, supply chain management, project management, risk management, etc.) so they can turn plans into action.
3. Culture. The values and practices that bring their brand to life.

Rather than treating learning as a silo, organizations have succeeded by developing an approach to integrate the learning function into operational and strategic planning. I hope you find this approach useful in your own workplace:

•  Determine where the organization wants to go and the team competencies needed to get there.
• Understand where the organization is today and the team competencies currently demonstrated.
• Define the difference between the current and desired states and recommend an approach to build the needed team competencies.
• Identify ways to measure progress.

The above approach sounds pretty generic, but the idea of team competencies is what repositions the learning function as a strategic approach. Competencies are demonstrable, so organizations can align those team competencies to business objectives and measure progress toward the objectives. We’re also finding that organizations like the idea of coaching as a way to institutionalize the new competencies. In addition to sending employees to a coaching academy, equipping employees to coach each other has been appealing to organizations. Coaching has been a way to help employees learn how to hold each other accountable.

Between team competencies and coaching, we’re seeing interest in ways to make employees more T-shaped, building deep skills to succeed in their jobs and also to thrive in their organizations.

Bama At Work brings the expertise of our University to your workplace and organization. More than a sample of courses dispensed in a classroom, the Corporate Training of Bama At Work is a training consultant working for you. Customize your training to bring the best skills and knowledge to your employees and colleagues. Because an educated workforce is a more efficient one, Bama At Work will help you and your organization achieve the capstone of Workplace Excellence.

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Article by Leroy Hurt, Associate Dean, Professional Development and Community Engagement, The University of Alabama

Leroy Hurt, Associate Dean, Bama At Work

Is There a Skills Gap in the American Workforce?

According to the Department of Labor, nationwide there are 4 million jobs which go unfilled, yet there are also 10 million Americans unemployed. How can we have millions of open job opportunities with so many Americans out of work?

Normally in America we assume that if we have these high unemployment numbers then this means that jobs are scarce.  There have been many conversations in Congress and stories from news programs that tell a different story. We essentially have what is being called a “skills gap”. This gap can explain much about our current situation and, if addressed properly, we could help our unemployment rate decrease.

So let us address the issues with unskilled workers. With college admissions at an all-time high it is puzzling that, according to a Manpower survey “Growth 2012 Talent Shortage Survey”, 49% of employers struggle to fill jobs. Basically there are jobs waiting to be filled, but current job seekers who may have a good education lack the skills needed to do these specific jobs. America in some ways has become snobbish when it comes to finding the perfect “career.” It seems we are conditioned to the idea that if we show up in a suit and tie with a day full of conference calls and meetings then this is seen as a career. On the other hand when we hear someone say I work at a chemical plant, oil refinery, landscaping business or in some of the IT jobs, then we regard these positions as “just over broke” (JOB) work. However it couldn’t be further from the truth.  These manual and/or blue collar jobs are the skills needed to help Americans stay competitive in manufacturing and IT industries.

We have also raised a generation of talented young adults who feel a sense of entitlement as it relates to their job options. A quote from Thomas Edison captures this: “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” This quote is so true with many of our young generation — it’s as if they feel like a corner office in a tall high-rise is the only way to go. Along with the “it should be handed to me” mentality, it can be difficult for employers to find employees with the work ethic needed to succeed in open positions.

On the flip side, let’s face the fact that companies are cutting back on benefits for their employees. Corporations in the past would offer “perks” like tuition reimbursement for continuing your education as well as free programs and courses through their Human Resources department. These days, with the tighter economy and higher cost to offer health insurance to employees, companies have offered less and less of these benefits. Many small-to medium-sized companies are unable to offer these benefits to their employees to keep them relevant and prepared for the future.

So how do we help companies and employees prepare themselves for today and the future, especially when many of the careers available today did not exist 10 years ago? We have to keep learning even after we graduate from high school, college or vocational school. There are so many ways we can keep up-to-date with different opportunities and not have to walk into a classroom. Many colleges and universities offer 100% online certification courses to add to your resume and keep your brain moving forward. These courses range from leadership to IT, medical and skilled trades.

Bama At Work and its partner World Education are at the forefront of efforts like these to help keep Americans employed, and are committed to offer online certificate programs that will keep Americans up-to-date with relevant skills so they can find sustained employment. Many of these programs we offer are in the skilled trades, sustainability and IT industries. Many of these programs are low cost programs that allow students to study in the comfort of their own homes and on their own time.   So take heart, and with Bama At Work by your side, you can close the skills gap.

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Article by Kelly Fuhlman, Director of Social Media  for World Education , and is personally involved in helping others make a better life for themselves through education. World Education is one of the main partner of the University of Alabama for Online Certificate Programs