Workforce Development Creates Partnerships With Industry
By Barbara E. Martin
A booming economy, a global marketplace, and technology that grows more sophisticated by the nanosecond has presented academia and the world of business and industry with a conundrum-how best to prepare students for success in the workforce and how to equip today's workers to meet the complex demands of a workplace that has urgent and increasing prerequisites.
Over the past two years, William Paterson University has established a unique program that merges these needs. The Workforce Development Network, a partnership between the University and more than 60 employers in the northern New Jersey area, had as its genesis the idea of developing a competent and diversified workforce for the region and is a cornerstone of the University's Student Success Plan.
An academic blueprint for the institution, the plan was developed by Provost and Executive Vice President Chernoh Sesay. It bases student success on a student-centered holistic approach of clearly defined strategies, programs, procedures, and processes to enable students to complete their education and realize their potential. One directive of the Student Success Plan is to enhance and support a Workforce Development Network of business executives through the Career Development Center.
University administrators, faculty, and top human resource professionals from the business community have created innovative programs including an accelerated master of business administration (M.B.A.) degree program, diversity workshops, Career Awareness Day, internships, certificate programs for companies, and customized corporate training.
Incumbent in the formation of the Network is the forum for dialogue opened between the University and the employers. This mechanism brings an employer's perspective to the process, permitting the Career Development Center to correctly ascertain the needs of business and industry and to relay that information to students, ensuring their success in the world after commencement.
Ken Zurich, director of William Paterson's Career Development Center, who works closely with Shelly Gimenez, dean of the Center for Continuing Education and Distance Learning (CEDL), spearheads the Network. They operate as a team to seek out business partnerships on behalf of the University.
One of the earliest and most active members of the Network is State Farm Insurance. The partnership between State Farm and William Paterson resulted in the L.E.A.D. program (Learn, Educate, Advance toward a Degree), which offers State Farm employees an undergraduate business degree or an accelerated M.B.A. The L.E.A.D. program exemplifies how business and education can come together to achieve common objectives.
"A program like this lets us focus on a comprehensive relationship and looks for a win-win situation for employers, employees, and William Paterson University," Gimenez says. "We see how we can provide a service to employers and help them fulfill their needs."
The L.E.A.D. program enrolled its first undergraduate and graduate students during the fall 1998 semester. Part of what makes the program so attractive to students is that it operates under the auspices of their employers, and in the case of State Farm, actually brings the academic classes to the work site. The company also underwrites the basic skills and GMAT review course for the M.B.A. students.
(Photo:
Accounting and Law Professor Lianzan Xu teaching a Saturday morning
M.B.A. class)
"So far the program's been a success," says Michele Hartigan, operations training administrator at State Farm. "The number of students interested in the program has been higher than anticipated." Hartigan adds that the students are dedicated and successful as well. There are 45 undergraduate students and 15 graduate students enrolled from State Farm.
Rona Meyers, a commercial fire service supervisor, coordinates the program for State Farm. "The L.E.A.D program is excellent, "she says. "You can't beat it. It benefits both sides, State Farm and the student."
The program gave her an opportunity to continue her own education. After receiving an associate's degree in 1981, financial obligations necessitated her entering the workforce, but she always wanted to go back and get a degree in business administration. When State Farm and William Paterson initiated the program, she began to fulfill a life-long goal. "It was the right time," she reports. "You leave from your job and go right to class." Meyers believes the program "gives employees a definite competitive edge. I'm glad I took on the challenge and I'm not giving up on my goal."
"The L.E.A.D. program pushes against the boundaries and maintains tight standards," says William Matthews, a professor of marketing and management sciences, and coordinator of the accelerated M.B.A. program. "We make sure there is consistency in content and offer a creative variety of activities. The students come because they want to, and since the company pays, they have an investment in the program."
Matthews, who last fall taught a class in management process and organizational theory (the groundwork for other courses), says teaching "seven hours a day is a challenge to the professors. It's a different style of teaching." He varies the content through different activities and uses experiential lessons, group projects, presentations, and quizzes to keep students intellectually challenged. After all, they attend the weekend M.B.A. classes after a 40-hour work week, and after Sunday's classes, they can look forward to another week of the same hectic schedule.
But weekends are the only time that many of these students can pursue an education. Bob Mayrose, an auto claims representative for State Farm, said that was the reason he enrolled in L.E.A.D. "I work 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and the only free time I have is on the weekend," he explains. "When State Farm offered this program, I couldn't turn it down. It fits nicely into what little free time I have." Mayrose, who lives and works in Queens, New York, commutes one hour each way to come to William Paterson, but "it's worth it," he remarks.
Beyond computer training programs, which remain the most requested courses according to Zurich, diversity in the workplace is an important issue for companies as they hire employees from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
"With the influx of different cultural groups into the country, employers want not only their own employees to get along with each other, but to ensure effective customer service as well. Gender and race relations are large components of such programs," Zurich adds.
State
Farm recently contracted for a series of diversity workshops.
Initiated in September 1998, the workshops are led by Peter Stein,
Charley Flint, and Vincent Parrillo, professors of sociology.
Stein, who is director of graduate studies for the Department
of Sociology, explains that the University is offering five graduate-level
classes to State Farm executives and managers that focus on this
topic, including courses such as Diversity in America, Gender
in a Modern Society, Diversity in the American Family, Racial
and Ethnic Relations, and Issues in the Workplace. (Photo:
Jack Ballway (center), regional manager for Enterprise Rent-a-Car,
speaks with students during a recent Career Awareness Day.
"They are not degree programs," Stein notes, "rather, something that people are interested in." He tries to link the courses to workplace issues such as gender equity and sexual harassment and uses feedback from the discussions in the classes, which meet once a week at State Farm.
Carla Temple, vice president for operations at State Farm, and a member of the Board of Trustees of William Paterson University, recognizes the value of the classes. "We do have a changing workforce," she says of the 1,000 employees on the Wayne site. "We need to know who we are dealing with to create a successful environment." Although the classes are currently open only to upper-level management, the company plans on creating one-day workshops for all employees. Temple believes that it's "critical that sensitivity to diversity issues start at the top" and then "shift down through the organization. This has helped our staff," she says. "It's an excellent team-building exercise because it brings people together for an in-depth discussion. People wanted smaller classes to give them an environment to express themselves and hear what others have to say." Temple also participates in the classes as a student.
"Everybody comes from a culture but sometimes we don't recognize we have a culture of our own," she adds. "We thought we knew each other before we took the diversity classes, but this has given us an opportunity to talk about some important issues such as parenting and divorce from a different perspective."
Central to the many programs offered by the Network are the internships that are arranged through the Career Development Center. Internships benefit both students and businesses. "Prospective employees who have a realistic idea of the workplace and who are able to make the transition quickly are highly sought after," Zurich remarks. "Internships, paid and unpaid, are one way of fulfilling this need. Employers see internships as a means to recruit, train, and develop new employees with limited commitment and risk."
Last summer, the Network placed two William Paterson students in a Summer Minority Internship Program at State Farm (see related story on page 19). This was a paid internship for which the students received academic credit. Other students, who work as Student Technology Consultants (STCs) at the University, were assigned to Bel Art and , International Specialty Products (ISP) and spent the summer installing software and providing help desk support.
David Kampschmidt, regional vice president for Enterprise Rent-a-Car, who has been an active participant in the Network and the internship program for his company, states, "Internships are beneficial for both the company and the students. We need a proper workforce to grow our business and we're picky about who we hire." Enterprise, just named one of the "100 Best Places to Work" by Fortune magazine, and Kampschmidt believe in hiring interns and training them. Two of the interns placed at Enterprise through the Network were hired as full-time employees in the past year. "What's good for the students is good for us," he explains. He served on all three Network planning committees because "I really did care about helping the students."
It's this concern for student success which infuses the Network and its participants. While Gimenez and Zurich make the initial site visits to potential corporate partners, other departments on campus are also included in the process. The University's Offices of Admissions, Advisement, and Graduate Studies, and the Testing Center, collaborate to ease the nontraditional students into campus life, ensuring a smooth transition.
(Photo:
Forging partnerships for the future: William Paterson's Shelly
Gimenez and Ken Zurich develop initiatives with Nancy Sharpe
of Valley National Bank and Phil Cronin of ISP.)
The partners that make up the Network provide a secure base. ISP is a strong supporter and has participated in numerous events over time. Phil Cronin, manager of organizational development at the company, sits on the steering committee and has, through CEDL, organized computer training programs on Excel, Windows '95, Intro to PCs, PowerPoint, WordPerfect, and Access for its employees. Last year, ISP donated a mass spectrometer to the University's College of Science and Health and has utilized William Paterson facilities for training programs. He also presented a training program for the STCs on work values and transition skills.
Another active partner is Valley National Bank, whose representatives have often come to campus to recruit students. Nancy Sharpe, assistant vice president and educational resources-training specialist, who sits on the steering committee, was one of the partners who initiated the Career Awareness Day last October. The fair attracted many local businesses to the campus, whose representatives informed William Paterson students of career options open to them. Most recently, Valley National Bank, a commercial bank with 97 offices in Northern New Jersey, hired a graduate for their management associate training program in addition to hiring for part-time positions.
In working closely with ISP, State Farm, Valley National Bank, and the other partners, Gimenez and Zurich continue to expand the Network by reaching out to new businesses in the region as potential partners.
"Our question is simple: 'How can we meet your needs?'" Gimenez says. "Once we know their needs and goals, we take that knowledge and develop a plan of action. Every program we do is like that." Some programs come about after more than a year of dialogue between the University and corporate partners, but programs always support the mission of the Workforce Development Network: "A commitment to education, to the future, to improving the quality of life where people live and work, and to preparing students for twenty-first-century technologies." WP
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Senior Uses Internship to Develop Skills and Gain Experience
Currently finishing the last three credits of a bachelor's degree in psychology, Timonera is juggling several possibilities in the hope of landing a high-tech job after commencement in May. Beginning his quest with an internship at State Farm Insurance in the summer of 1998, Timonera decided to "work for the experience." He participated in
the Summer Minority Internship Program, an ongoing program at
State Farm designed to give undergraduate students the opportunity
to gain experience and exposure to the insurance industry. He
was one of 35 students who applied through the University's Office
of Minority Education and the Career Development Center, and
was one of two William Paterson students selected. He worked
as a fire company-underwriting intern assessing the profitability
and quality of incoming homeowner insurance policy applications.
"Working at State Farm allowed me to use the various skills I've obtained at the University and apply them to the work environment," Timonera says. "It is also a place where I feel a great sense of belonging and that's something I've never really factored into my job-searching criteria. I've also learned that the company provides many opportunities for its workers and encourages self-development, which in turn can improve service to our policyholders." Itching to get more involved with technology, Timonera spent time during the summer as a Student Technology Consultant (STC) on campus, troubleshooting software and hardware programs in the Windows NT Workstation labs. In an effort to learn more about the technology, he is pursuing certification as a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. His appetite whetted by work as an STC, he signed on as an information technology manager intern (ITMI) in September 1998 through the University's Center for Continuing Education and Distance Learning. ITMIs are typically placed in local school districts, and Timonera was assigned to the Prospect Park School District. Later, Timonera began working at Williams, Caliri, Miller and Otley, a law firm in Wayne, as an information technology consultant, where he is busy arranging a smooth transition from a Novell network environment to a Windows '95 format for the firm. In February, he was
hired as a consultant by the Borough of Franklin Lakes (through
the Workforce Development Network), where he is working on the
design and implementation All are part-time, consultant positions that add up to a full-time commitment for the former intern, who came to the United States from the Philippines with his family at the age of 11. Timonera claims he's not really happy unless he has a goal. "Life is a gift," he remarks. "I don't want to rest on my laurels. Knowledge itself is a reward." Future plans include pursuing a master's degree in telecommunications at NJIT, something he hopes to accomplish within the next two years. After that he hopes to land a high-tech job before working as a full-time consultant. He likes the field of information technology because it is "non-company specific and non-culture specific and offers opportunity to those who want to take it." |
Passionate
about computers, anxious to try out newly acquired skills, and
curious about the workplace, Jan-Michael Timonera, a 23-year-old
psychology major at the University, has explored internships
as a window of opportunity in the discipline he has chosen as
a career goal-information technology.