Quinsigamond Community College
Address: 670 West Boylston Street, Worcester, MA 01606-2092
Phone: 508-854-4435
Fax: 508-856-0395
Website: qcc.mass.edu
Number of Employees: 9 at Training and Education Center, plus 100 adjunct faculty
Top Executive: Dr. Gail Carberry
Year Founded: 1963
Learning for work, learning for life
Today’s world requires continuous lifelong learning. The Training and Education Center (TEC) at Quinsigamond Community College provides the practical skills that can help employees improve productivity, job-seekers secure employment, and any working adult experience personal enrichment."We focus on the skills and competencies to be successful in work and in life," says Jane Shea, dean of the Training and Education Center. "We’re an entrepreneurial arm of the college. Our division can be more flexible about the type and length of education and adapt to a company’s specific needs." To minimize employee travel time, classes can be held online, on-site at the client company, or in one of TEC’s ten classrooms at 100 Front Street in downtown Worcester.
The TEC bridges the worlds of education and business. Kathleen Manning, Director of Business Development, states: "We encourage our clients to look at their employees’ skill sets as part of their competitive advantage. It is far more cost effective for organizations to invest in developing and retaining in-house talent than it is to recruit, hire and train replacement staff."
When organizations tap the TEC, they find a unique resource of tailor-made management and employee training. Students gain new skills that can be applied immediately on the job to improve performance and overall productivity. In addition, TEC instruction can lead to nationally recognized industry certifications.
One recent program brought TEC faculty on-site at Averion, a clinical research organization in Framingham, working with mid- to upper-level executives on leadership skills, teambuilding and strategic planning. The Center works closely with client companies to ensure that learning outcomes link closely to measurable business objectives and goals.
For basic skill development at ECM Plastics in Worcester, TEC instructors have conducted two 90-minutes sessions each week on language development, focusing on English reading and writing skills for a manufacturing environment. Employees are making fewer mistakes as their literacy skills improve. Run between shifts or during the workday, classes follow a curriculum specifically created to help them interact with co-workers and suppliers to produce customized products the marketplace demands.
"We’re all about steps," says Christina Hebert, Director of Adult Basic and Occupational Education, "moving from one step to another, bridging into post-secondary education, to community college and beyond."
The Center for Continuing Education was renamed the Training and Education Center in November 2005 because, as Shea explains, "we do far more than continuing education."
They also offer management consulting, workplace needs assessment, leadership development, and strategic planning services. Worcester’s Plumley Village public housing administration recently asked TEC to assess their residents’ job training needs to help them move up from low-paying entry-level jobs.
Anticipating future job training needs is essential to TEC’s mission. Mandatory licensing regulations came into effect July 1, requiring many tradespeople to update their skills. In response, the TEC has begun a new collaboration with Burlington-based Gould Construction Institute. Result: New courses to fulfill licensing requirements for electricians, plumbers, sprinklerfitters and project managers. The downtown classroom location should remain ideal with the pending CitySquare construction.
To address the needs of the region’s healthcare industry, TEC is partnering with 11 long-term care facilities, providing on-site training so current employees can advance in their jobs. Classes include: preparation for the certified nurse assistant exam, transitions from clinical to administrative duties, and training for technical positions in phlebotomy, EKGs and pharmacy.
"Everything we do works toward increasing the economic development and growth of our community," concludes Shea.
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