Opinion: Hodges Connect helps fill workforce skills gaps
The workforce gap is something that multiple business development organizations have been discussing for years. Corporations are asking for solutions. Hodges University is answering that call with its professional training initiative, Professional Education and Training (PET), called Hodges Connect.
This is all about giving our workforce that competitive edge. Hodges Connect is designed to prepare the workforce with the employer-demanded skills necessary to succeed in the job markets of today and tomorrow. This new platform offers workshops and classes that can be customized to suit any industry. We offer these workshops and classes to individuals or to a corporate group.
The first workshop, First Line Supervisor training certificate program, is now available and accepting registrations. The program can be offered completely online in a four-week format. The second option is attending the workshop on a Hodges University campus.
Upon completion of either format, graduates will receive their First Line Supervisory Effectiveness Certificate from Hodges University.
The Regional Demand Occupations List for 2019-2020 demonstrates a high demand for first line supervisors with more than 4,000 openings, which is why we selected this program to start.
Areas that are demanding first line supervisors include workers in construction trades and extractions, mechanics, installers and repairers, non-retail sales, office and administrative support, personal service, retail sales, housekeeping and janitorial, landscaping and lawn service, and transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators.
The PET Hodges Connect Initiative continues to launch more workshops and classes that cover a variety of subjects. Within Business & Communication, participants can earn a Professional Effectiveness Certificate (PEC), which is a five-course program focused on soft skill development in technology, communication and business.
The Professionalism in the Workplace Certificate is a short course to prepare students for internships, or for anyone looking for their first job. Workshops available include generational differences in the workplace, moving from peer to leader, and cultural competency. Some workshop topics include conflict resolution, body language basics, being a likeable boss, employee motivation, emotional intelligence, high-performance teams, safety in the workplace, time management, team building, customer service, organizational skills and transformational leadership.
In the area of health, PET Hodges Connect offers classes in Basic Life Support, Basic Life Support Refresher and Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED. The first workshop is for CPR and is scheduled from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 30 on our Fort Myers campus. The cost is $65 per person and includes course materials, training and an electronic course completion card.
Coming soon, we will be offering courses in the area of technology, including AUTOCAD and ADOBE Software applications.
Similar to our monthly class starts for credit, these workshops and classes are accelerated so that attendees can learn what they need to know efficiently, and apply their new skills and knowledge right away.
For more information about PET Hodges Connect, email HodgesConnect@Hodges.edu or visit https://pathways.hodges.edu/courses/hodges-connect/.
- Dr. John Meyer is president of Hodges University