Businesses Turn to WCC for Specialized Training Needs
By Nancy Clay
WCC has become the go-to place for companies that need employee training. Many turn to the College for technical skills improvement, continuing education, business development, computer and software education, certification, and customized training.
“When local businesses or professionals need help, we want Washtenaw Community College to be top-of-mind so that they will call us first,” said Marilyn Donham, dean of Continuing Education and Community Services. “We’ll do everything we can to help them.”
WCC’s help comes via a multi-leveled approach designed to offer appropriate assistance as efficiently and cost effectively as possible. Those approaches include:
- Customized contract training
- Continuing education for specific professional groups
- Access to all of WCC’s regular continuing education and credit classes
- Business development and consulting services
Contract Training
“I am the chief cheerleader for training that WCC can offer to businesses,” said Brandon Tucker, manager of the contract training/workforce development program. “WCC has a great reputation and I want them to know that we’ve been here and are still here to help however we can.”
Tom Sullivan, training and apprenticeship coordinator at the University of Michigan Facilities Management Department, can attest to that. A few years ago, his department faced budget cuts that required reevaluating how it was providing advancement training for its building maintenance employees.
“We had been using another provider for training and using WCC faculty as tutors,” Sullivan said. “It wasn’t cost effective. So a group of us from U-M met with Cristy Lindemann (an instructor in WCC’s School of Construction Technology) and other instructors from WCC. We were able to design a custom curriculum, identify an instructor, and offer classes leading to certification for our mechanics,” Sullivan said. Four building maintenance classes were developed and offered on site at U-M at a convenient time for workers over two years.
“We’re completing our first two-year cycle. We’re very pleased with the results,” said Sullivan. “We’ve also found the classes have been helpful for people in our call center, administration, and supervisory roles. They do a better job when they have knowledge of the building systems.” Now plans are being made to make the classes available to other U-M departments, like athletics and housing.
WCC has partnered with the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System to offer classes in areas such as computer training and conflict resolution to employees on site. The College also is working with Aramark to provide business communication instruction for its front-line supervisors. Aramark provides food services and facility management for universities and schools, health care facilities, stadiums, and other businesses.
Tucker is meeting with business owners and managers, exploring their training needs. He’s also networking with business groups, like Ann Arbor SPARK, to determine educational needs and WCC opportunities.
Continuing Professional Education
Social workers, nurses, heating/air conditioning contractors, law enforcement personnel, and code officials already know that WCC offers classes to keep their skills, licenses, and certifications up to date.
“We are continually looking for professions who require some sort of continuing education and are creating classes, workshops, and seminars that will help them meet their educational requirements,” said Larry Pickel, continuing education program manager. WCC also has offered or is offering specialized, non-credit classes for residential construction employees, realtors, nursing home administrators, and architects.
In the fall, Pickel organized a series of classes funded by federal grants for people in the transportation, distribution, and logistics industry. The classes, which were offered in cooperation with St. Clair County Community College, covered border and customs issues, as well as handling and transporting hazardous materials.
“Sometimes when we offer classes like these, we find companies that have enough employees to justify offering a class just for them,” Pickel said. “And occasionally we’re asked to help find instructors for professional workshops or conferences.”
LifeLong Learning and Credit Classes
The continuing professional education classes are offered by WCC’s LifeLong Learning department, which has dozens of other non-credit classes aimed at helping professionals sharpen their skills and improve their employability.
For example, in Winter 2012 Semester LifeLong Learning is offering classes about bookkeeping, small business development, e-marketing, web coding, and computer programs ranging from Access to QuickBooks.
WCC’s credit classes also can help professionals keep current on business and industry trends. The vast academic offerings cover occupations ranging from accounting to welding.
MI-SBTDC Business Consulting Services
WCC is the host organization for the Greater Washtenaw Region of the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center. Its offices are in downtown Ypsilanti at 301 W. Michigan Ave.
SBTDC’s core mission is to enhance Michigan's economic well-being by providing counseling, training, research, and advocacy for new ventures, existing small businesses, and innovative technology companies. It also provides some business-related classes and workshops, with business planning, marketing, and social network marketing being popular topics.
“Most of what we do is work one-on-one with individual business people,” said Charlie Penner, regional director. “They come to us for advice and counseling, access to our market research, ideas on marketing in general, or for help finding loans and/or growth capital. Clients are assigned a lead counselor, but because of varied expertise, other SBTDC staff members become involved as well.
“Depending on where the individual is with his or her business, we may refer them to other public and private groups in the region,” Penner said. “And a lot of those groups refer people to us. We work with clients as long as they need us. For some, that’s a very short period of time. For others, we have a much longer relationship.”
Nancy Clay is a freelance writer.