What does it really mean to think “outside the box?”
It’s a refrain that has been used for decades at this point, so much so that we no longer reflect on it. Simply put, it means to think outside the boundaries of your current circumstances. To not assume that what we hold true in the present will hold true in the future. If necessity is the mother of invention, a forward-thinking mindset is the mother of innovation.
You know the stories of Kodak, Blockbuster, Sears and other giants of the past who found themselves too rooted in what was working at the time and never fully prepared for a vastly different future. You know that, at one point, you never thought you’d have a calculator in your pocket everywhere you go. Then smartphones came along.
The world is always changing — yesterday’s assumptions could be proven wrong, and the need to keep learning and innovating is continuous. The same holds true for employees. The need to think ahead is constant. If you don’t train your employees in the latest technology and emerging trends, allowing them to expand their skill sets, your company will fall behind its competition.
The manufacturing sector — one of the most critical industries in Northeast Ohio — is a perfect example. Jobs that were done by hand or with relatively simple mechanical assistance a few decades ago are now completely automated. The manual labor of a bygone era has been replaced with a need for technological specialists who can operate computers and robots on the shop floor.
Training itself can become outdated, and teaching an entire workforce outdated material is as bad as not teaching them at all. Innovation in workforce training is essential to keep your business evolving and thriving, and, on a larger scale, it’s essential for the continued development of the entire regional economy. If you seek a workforce education partner for employee training, the partner must be committed to that type of innovation.
At Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®), we have recognized the need to pursue that innovation. Earlier this year, we relaunched our former Workforce, Community and Economic Development (WCED) division as our Workforce Innovation division. The new division title reflects our work to answer the need for innovative workforce training, meeting the needs of our students and our corporate partners who rely on us to provide them with talented, prepared graduates.
This summer, we reorganized our Workforce Innovation division into five academies focused on advanced manufacturing, construction, health care, public safety and transportation. This new structure will allow us to align our course offerings into pathways so our students can progress more quickly toward degrees and certificates.
We have expanded our program offerings, including our very first bachelor’s degree program — a Bachelor of Applied Science in Integrated Digital Manufacturing Engineering Technology. We have also launched the Center for the Future of Work, which will further expand our workforce training reach through research, skills development for faculty and students, policy-shaping and other forms of workforce advocacy.
Whether you seek out a training partner like Tri-C or train employees in-house, the need for innovation and forward-thinking remains the same. Don’t assume that today’s reality will be the same as tomorrow’s. ●
Michael A. Baston is President of Cuyahoga Community College
