For many companies, the current economic climate has made it more difficult to justify the expense of employee training. As a result, continuing education programs have adapted to reflect the changing needs of employees and employers.
“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that the working population has been directly affected,” says Juris Peice, account representative, business and industry, at Delaware Valley College. “Many people have been laid off, so we’ve been tasked with assessing what we can do to help.”
Smart Business spoke with Peice about the initiatives being implemented and how they can help employees and employers.
What is the most important educational issue in the current economic climate?
It’s very important in today’s environment that we properly identify the skills needed to re-employ people — to get people back to work right now.
Every day, I get phone calls from people who aren’t aware that there is retraining money sitting on the table to which they are entitled. These funds are available through their local CareerLink office.
There are organizations out there that can be used to bring people back to work, but it is very important to identify the requisite skills that training can provide.
However, the issue is that a lot of professional people don’t want to participate in the $5,000 to $10,000 worth of outplacement services sometimes offered at termination. If offered, they can get the interview skills training, resume writing and the networking skills they’ll need. But some people are just too angry or embarrassed to accept the services.
What types of training are important for those looking for work?
The most basic thing is being able to answer the question, ‘Tell me about yourself.’ Everyone needs to have their own two-minute drill so you can tell someone about yourself in less than two minutes. That’s your own mini-advertisement about yourself, designed to capture interest in your skill sets.
Resume writing is another skill. People don’t realize that anything more than a one- or two-page resume is a major problem — anything longer won’t get read.
Another skill most people don’t have is the ability to write a cover letter. The key elements of a good cover letter are the three or four major things a company lists right on the advertised job description. There are never more than three or four things: the education level, a few things about the job and the need for good interpersonal communication skills.
A good cover letter lists the company’s requirements on one side in three or four bullet points, and then you match them with your qualifications on the other side. So when the rookie recruiter looks at your cover letter, you’ve done the job for them. You’ve matched yourself exactly with that particular job.
You have to do the recruiters’ job for them, tell them where you found the ad so they can fill out their tally sheet on what media worked for them. Then you close by telling them your salary requirements are flexible but give your anticipation for the range for this position in $5,000 increments.
This is the kind of help that people need.
How can partnering with colleges and universities for employee training benefit companies?
In this economy, ‘What is the real value of educating your work force?’ is certainly a valid question. President Obama has tasked this nation to have the highest percentage of college graduates in the world. That’s certainly a worthwhile goal, but is it achievable? I certainly think it will be difficult without corporate help.
It is a very difficult subject given this economy. Every single company I talk to says the same thing: ‘What is this training going to cost? How can I make it cheaper?’ It’s all cost-per-credit related, and maybe sometimes you just have to step back and look at the bigger picture of what we’re trying to achieve as a society.
What types of continuing education programs are popular right now?
As far as continuing education — we’ve recognized both individuals and companies seem to be interested in training that will directly enhance their skills or lead to them getting a job immediately.
In response to that, the hottest things are programs like a teacher certification internship program — better known as TCIP.
These are for the career changers, the people who frankly feel that a layoff could be right around the corner.
What can be done to get more companies to commit to future development?
More of an incentive should be directed both to individuals and companies. The fact of the matter is, with everyone struggling, we need to be more creative with raising tax incentives for companies to do things like not only paying for tuition but also reimbursement for things like textbooks.
Paying for those books can make a huge difference. We’re talking about a couple hundred bucks for a person who is working in a factory environment. That is a challenge.
Juris Peice is an account representative, business and industry, at Delaware Valley College. Reach him at [email protected] or (215) 489-4840.
