The Workforce Training Series kicked off Friday, December 7in Bennington. The Workforce Training Series is a response to the growing need for strategic staff development in order to position the Bennington area as a workforce engine for the future.
Designed to bring state-of-the-art training seminars to the local area for 2013, New Directions Consulting developed its Workforce Training Series using input and guidance from the Town of Benningtons Office of Economic and Community Development, the Bennington Economic Development Taskforce, the Workforce Investment Board, and local employers, as a way to facilitate community engagement. Fridays event gathered regional industry leaders together to discuss the initiative and the 2013 schedule of seminars for their staffs.
A two hour informational and sample workshop was presented by New Directions Consulting of North Bennington, VT to reach out to potential participants for the purpose of gathering support as well as feedback for the training series. Representatives from many industries across the tri-state region participated in an energetic and engaging discussion on the needs of the current workforce.
Michael Harrington, the Director of Economic and Community Development for the Town of Bennington, started the kickoff event with a welcome and quick vision of why workforce development is critical for the future of Benningtons sustainability. Greg Van Houten, underwriter and originator of the WTS idea, followed, by thanking the Mount Anthony Country Club and telling some of his personal stories of professional development. Over the years I have attended and sent staff to workforce training seminars for various reasons. I am very excited to see this resource now available to the community through New Directions, and I encourage you to support it, Van Houten stated.
Following the welcome, Lisa Dunbar, the premier trainer for the 2013 seminars, held a 20-minute roundtable discussion with attendees that asked, what are your biggest challenges you face in staff development and what are you hoping to get out of the WTS program? Matthew Harrington, Business Development Manager at New Directions, followed the discussion with a brief overview of who New Directions is and the many years of training that the company is looking to bring to a local level. We were out discussing the concept of Benningtons WTS program with key people in Albany, Saratoga and the Malta area the other day and they were shocked that a town the size of Bennington offered such a program. Bennington was the envy of the region for just the idea of offering a workforce development series. I think if you dont leave the walls of Bennington, you never get a chance to see or hear that but Bennington is positioning itself to be a global competitor, especially if it embraces programs like WTS, and the region better take note, Harrington said as he capped off his presentation.
Dunbar then led the group of about 30 attendees through a micro workshop that could be offered in a future WTS seminar. The sample workshop focused on Effective Meeting Skills. Dunbar added, We actually built the one hour presentation not only to be like one of our seminars, but also as a way to walk these key decision-makers through how we teach our courses, why we do the experiential or group discussions within our trainings, and why it can be so effective. I think this added an element of detail that showcased the effectiveness of our trainings. Its exciting to be able to offer it for local organizations needing strong training programs.
After the one-hour demonstration the attendees were guided through the 2013 training offerings, sponsorship opportunities and registration process. Starting on February 1st, seminar one will be, Dynamic Supervision: What Every Supervisory Should Know But Was Never Told. The second seminar on May 3rd will be Employee 101: Be The Employee Every Manager Wants, followed by the third seminar on September 6th entitled, Communication Skills: Crash Course On Getting Along With Others in the Workplace. The first year of the WTS initiative finishes on November 1st with Dynamic Supervision 2: Taking Your Management Skills to the Next Level. Each session costs $150, but if purchasing four or more seats, the price drops to $125 per seat. All sessions will begin at 8:30am and finish at 4:30pm with a lunch break where attendees are encouraged to stay at the host site for the WTS seminars, the Mount Anthony Country Club.
I think there is nothing better than local businesses supporting other local business, and thats what this program does, encouraged Michael Harrington at the end of the kickoff event.
To register or to learn more visit: http://info.newdirectionsconsulting.com/the-workforce-training-series-of...