Educational opportunities abound in South Jersey, whether it’s a co-op program offering real-world work experience earlier than ever for a college student, online executive education programs for the busy working professional, or unemployment grants to help get people back to work in areas that need it most. Here, our area’s leaders in education explain how all of this can benefit both you and the workforce.
“Why is it important to continue developing leadership skills for successful career management?”
To achieve more in life and work, it is helpful to learn the ‘how’ of leadership. There are 3 C’s to being a great personal leader: seeking Clarity around what you want to achieve; overcoming the Challenges inherent in any worthwhile endeavor; and having the Commitment required to assure goals are met. By being a student of leadership, we learn to use these 3 C’s personally and in leading others.
Diane Allen
Diane Allen Coaching Solutions, LLC
Mount Laurel
(856) 802-9948
DianeAllenCoaching.com
“Most business professionals are expected to be innovative when solving problems, developing strategies and seeking business opportunities. Can everyone develop the ability to be 'innovative’ or are some just born with it?”
There are a handful of individuals who are genetically gifted with a very unique ability to innovate (i.e. Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos and others). Additionally, there are some cultures around the globe that promote the key traits that are inherent within truly innovative individuals. But for the rest of us, we must nurture, practice and grow this skill in order for innovation to be a useable tool in our business toolkit.
As was described in the excellent book The Innovator’s DNA by Dyer, Gergerson and Christensen, five key discovery skills are the foundation to mastering your innovation abilities. They are: associating, questioning, observing, experimenting and networking. A deeper exploration into these skills and the research behind them unveil that roughly two-thirds of the skills needed to be innovative can be learned—from first understanding the skill, then practicing it, and ultimately gaining confidence in our capacity to create.
So to hone these important skills, there are many professional development and executive education programs that can help business professionals hone and begin to master the traits to becoming a highly valued innovative contributor within any business.
Ray J. Compari
Rutgers University School of Business-Camden
Camden
(856) 225-6685
ExecEd.Rutgers.edu
“How can you qualify for unemployment grant opportunities for Electronic Medical/ Health Records (EMR/EHR) employment to fill the nationally recognized shortage of these highly skilled, good-paying job opportunities?”
There are training programs available for a career as a health IT workforce: electronic health records (EHR) analyst I which is listed as an “in demand” career choice through the State of New Jersey, Department of Labor and Workforce Development - Eligible Training Providers List on the NJ Opportunities Training website. In fact, some training and employment programs such as Healthcare IT School of New Jersey offer an all-inclusive career path that prepares their participants with what they need to know to get hired by hospitals and clinics seeking people that have specific EMR/EHR skills and capabilities including knowing how to: document how a medical practice operates, i.e. workflow analysis; build order sets, flowsheets, progress notes, automated medical phrases and terms; build a computerized physician order entry (CPOE) preference list; utilize supplemental technical tools required to support EMR/EHR software installation; set up and support the EMR/EHR software testing and training environment; be prepared for the specific EMR/EHR “job role” best suited for your professional background and experience. Contact Healthcare IT School of New Jersey for more information on this career opportunity.
Shirley Corsey
Healthcare IT School of New Jersey
Cedar Brook
877) 671-0307
HealthcareITWorkforce.com
“What advantages are there to online college courses as opposed to traditional class attendance?”
Online courses, especially those that are asynchronous, remove the two most common barriers facing working adults who are interested in advancing their education: time and location. Most adults cannot afford to sit in a classroom on any given day or time to attend class. They have their jobs, their family and a host of other important commitments. Asynchronous online courses, which have no specific times when a student must be logged on to attend an online lecture or discussion, remove those barriers and deliver the academic program around the unique needs of the student. Most online courses are structured on a timeline that accommodates the schedule of adult learners. Online courses also have the ability to bring learners from different backgrounds and locations together who face similar challenges with juggling professional and personal obligations while advancing their education. Because online discussions are mandatory and often are a significant part of the grade, many online students report that their interactions with fellow classmates are extremely valuable and go beyond the course and into issues faced at work and in specific industries.
Joe Guzzardo
Thomas Edison State College
Trenton
(888) 442-8372
TESC.edu
“What are some of the trends that you are seeing in MBA applications?”
According to the Graduate Management Admissions Council’s 2012 Application Trends Survey, 44 percent of part-time programs reported an increase in applications over 2011, while 66 percent of online programs reported an increase. We have seen an expanding interest in our online and part-time MBA programs. Students are seeking flexibility as they juggle work, family and educational commitments. Students are hesitant to leave full-time careers in order to pursue their MBA. Online and part-time programs provide students with the opportunity to pursue their MBA without interrupting their careers. We have also seen an increase in the number of students that are pursuing their MBA full-time. Many of these students complete the program in one year. The Rohrer College of Business MBA program provides students with the flexibility to take campus-based, hybrid and online courses at a pace in sync with their lifestyle.
James Jordan
Rohrer College of Business, Rowan University
Glassboro
(856) 256-5220
Rowan.edu/business
“What is the advantage for a student to attend a college with a co-op program in preparing for a job in the business world after graduation?”
I am the poster child for one of the greatest reasons to attend a university with a program like Drexel Co-op. For years, it was my dream to be a reporter and my mother’s dream for me to replace Oprah on TV. I did an internship at one of the local newspapers, but it was only for a few weeks, so I didn’t have the opportunity to really experience the job. Once I graduated, I got a job as a junior reporter at a local newspaper, and I ended up hating it. If I had gone through Drexel’s Co-op program, I would have been able to answer two important questions: “How do I get a job without experience?” and “How do I get experience without a job?”
If I had gone through Drexel’s Co-op, I would have been able to determine if the major and field I had chosen to pursue was really the one for me before I graduated. I can’t express how important it is to graduate and know that the major and field I've chosen is the one for me. Co-op programs like Drexel’s are an opportunity to solidify your career choice, or an opportunity to change direction and pursue another option that suits you better before earning your degree.
Bernetta McCall-Millonde
Drexel University at Burlington County College
Mount Laurel
(856) 222-9311
Drexel.edu/BCC
“What steps should students take when planning to transfer from GCC to another university after completing their first two years of college?”
Start early. Students planning to transfer to a four-year institution are encouraged to contact the Career and Academic Planning (CAP) Center. With proper advanced research and timely consultation with CAP Center transfer advisors, students can strategize their pursuit of post-GCC educational goals, and thus minimize concerns about loss of community college credits.
GCC has partnered with four-year universities to make earning a bachelor’s degree a seamless transition with added benefits. Learn about the different programs and incentives each university has to offer GCC graduates from dual enrollment choices, to tuition discounts, to obtaining a bachelor’s degree without leaving the GCC campus.
Following these guidelines will help students to maximize the transfer of their credits: First things first, do some research; contact the CAP Center to set up an appointment with the transfer advisor. Visit or call (856) 464-5228; bring this checklist and other research materials pertaining to the college search to the appointment; choose a transfer-oriented program of study at GCC; select a major; decide on possible four-year institutions to transfer to. Review each university’s literature, website and visit the campus of the school under consideration; apply and have an official GCC transcript sent to the admissions office at the chosen school(s). A $5 fee is charged for each transcript sent.
John Ortiz
Gloucester County College
Sewell
(856) 415-2198
GCCNJ.edu
Published (and copyrighted) in South Jersey Biz, Volume 3, Issue 8 (August, 2013).
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