Online courses are increasingly popular training solutions for workforce and professional development needs. According to the Small Business Development Center Network (http://sbdcnet.org), “Last year, with the nation gripped by a recession, the number of people taking online SBA courses doubled.”
When professionals seek to improve their marketability and performance in the workplace, they take classes and workshops in subject areas that would benefit their careers. Colleges and universities are the traditional sources of accredited coursework – but how many professionals have the time to go sit in a classroom 2 or 3 times a week? Online courses – often referred to as “e-learning” – present opportunities for flexibility and convenience that appeal to the businessperson in search of professional development.
Recently, the University of Vermont perceived a growing demand for skill building in the import/export arena, one of the fastest growing sectors of both our national and state economy. According to Amanda Chaulk, Senior Marketing Specialist in UVM’s Continuing Education department, “more and more small businesses are expanding their distribution outside of the domestic market. The skills and knowledge needed to manage international export projects are very specific for very complex processes. The certificate program is a way that is much more efficient than on-the-job training to increase one’s skill and ability to perform.”
Grant funding is available at a 50% discount for companies in manufacturing, healthcare, informational technology, telecommunications, and environmental engineering. This grant is offered through UVM’s partnership with the Vermont Training Program and the Department of Economic Development.
UVM’s new Import/Export Professional Certificate program consists of two 3-day weekends on campus, plus three online courses. Chaulk explains that the course work is primarily online “for convenience and accessibility for working professionals. Online learning – kind of like Tivo does for TV viewers – allows a student to time shift their classroom to their own scheduling demands. There are specific readings and tasks to complete within a set period of time each week, but when a student goes online to participate is up to them and their needs. Online learning provides flexibility to go to class before work in the morning, over a lunch break, or late at night after the family is in bed.”
Other online programs from UVM’s Continuing Education include a Certificate of Graduate Study in Ecological Economics, which is designed for professionals working at traditional businesses to help their organizations transform to a more sustainable business model, or for people looking to “green” their credentials to join a sustainability-focused organization.
UVM’s Healthcare Technology Sequence (online except for one in-person clinical experience) is designed for healthcare systems to increase their patient safety through knowledge and strategic planning in healthcare technology. The Pre-MBA Sequence at UVM prepares a student to enter the graduate MBA program. The School-based Speech-Language Pathology Assistants program helps students gain access to careers in an area of job growth; it is also a ramp into the Master’s program for speech language pathology, currently also available online.
Champlain College’s Workforce Development Center, the employer outreach unit within the Division of Continuing Professional Studies, offers two programs online that lead to national certifications. CCE BootCamp© is a 15-week preparation course for computer forensics and digital investigation professionals (www.go.champlain.edu/cce). Champlain also offers a series of four Human Resource Management Online Workshops, powered by HRSentry, pre-approved by the HR Certification Institute for PHR, SPHR, GPHR re-certification, which covers a wide array of federal and state HR laws and regulations, best practices for finding and keeping employees, and performance management tools. More information is available at: www.go.champlain.edu/hrsentry. Melissa Hersh, Director of the Workforce Development Center, says that these programs are “highly sought after by employers who need targeted skills and professional certifications.”
Champlain College also offers five online graduate degrees targeted to working professionals. The Master’s program in Managing Innovation and Information Technology is geared toward IT professionals who wish to move into management roles. Champlain’s MBA program is also almost entirely online, and its most recent graduate-level offering, Digital Investigation Management, is designed for law enforcement officials looking to move into management roles. For individuals who wish to pursue work-related learning in the fields of law and mediation, the College also offers online graduate degrees in Law and in Mediation and Applied Conflict Studies.
In addition to the flexibility and convenience cited by other online learning providers, Champlain’s graduate web site (http://extra.champlain.edu/master/), notes an additional advantage: the ability to “network and brainstorm with well-connected classmates from around the country and with faculty who are respected in their fields.”
The Vermont state government also encourages its employees to pursue classroom and online training opportunities through The Summit Center for State Employees (http://humanresources.vermont.gov/training/the_summit). The Summit is the Professional Development and Training facility for the State of Vermont and its Employees, and is run by the Division for Workforce Development & Wellness at the Department of Human Resources.
According to Tracy Gallo, Director of the Workforce Development & Wellness Division, The Summit began offering online training in January 2009, with 2,870 online enrollments this year. Employee feedback for online courses at The Summit has been very positive, says Gallo, primarily because of the flexibility in scheduling and the relevance of course offerings. The goals of the online courses offered at The Summit include reducing course costs and associated expenses such as mileage/travel and overtime, and better service to state employees in outlying/remote areas of the state.
Most of The Summit’s training sessions are offered only to State employees, but they do offer conference facilitates and some open enrollment slots to individuals and organizations when they are not booked by the state (the state always takes priority and individuals and organizations understand that they may be bumped if a state organization or employee requires the service or slot).
Last fall, Dave and I built an outdoor pizza oven using clay, sand, straw, and some salvaged material. I posted photos and the “how to” at http://thecobovenproject.blogspot.com
