by Amy K. Lavender
Ever thought about brushing up your leadership and management skills? Ever needed some tips on negotiating in the workplace? Wish you knew more about the operating system you use every day so you could get more out of it?
Well, so do Assistant Director Patricia Durrough and Training Administrator Christy Rabern of the University of West Georgia’s Center for Business Excellence – and now they have put a tool in your hands so you can achieve these goals: DevelopWest.
DevelopWest is a brand new training tool designed specifically for UWG employees by Skillsoft on behalf of the Center for Business Excellence (CBE). The project began to take shape once the CBE received the results of their Engage West surveys from 2014.
"Professional development was one of the top three items that surfaced from survey respondents," Patricia said. "Since training is part of our responsibility, we started looking at how we could impact that need and what we could do to help that. So we collaborated with HR and did a little bit of homework to see what was out there."
Patricia and Christy discovered that more than half the universities in the University System of Georgia use Skillsoft as their professional development tool, so they went to Georgia Southern (who has been using the system for five years) last summer to see first-hand how they had implemented it on their campus, picking up tips along the way.
"We really liked what we saw," Patricia said, "so we came back to campus and shared what we had found, what we could tap into, and what we could purchase; and from there, Dr. Marrero agreed to fund it."
Part of the draw for UWG to hire Skillsoft was the company's ability to tailor the program to the university's needs. DevelopWest does contain several courses on IT topics for both Macs and PCs; but, ultimately, Patricia and Christy wanted a package that was all-inclusive, but not overly technical.
"We selected the Skill Choice Complete Package, which was recommended by some of the other schools using SkillSoft because it is comprehensive but not over the top," Patricia said. "It was the most popular package and offers a very good variety of courses. We were also able to purchase a 50-course compliance pack, which gave us the ability to select 50 of the legal and environmental health and safety courses – things like TCI compliance, Title 9, HR interviewing, and some health and safety compliance training as well."
The software can also prepare employees for certification in various IT and business topics, such as Microsoft Office Specialist for 2007, 2010, and 2013; Scrum Alliance; or ASQ.
"The actual tests are not available in SkillSoft," Patricia said, "but you can take these courses to prepare for the certification test, which has to be taken at a certified testing facility."
Of course, employees don't just need hard business and computer skills. Patricia and Christy also recognized the need for training in what is now called "soft skills," which include getting along with your coworkers, showing up for work on time, executing good communication, etc.
"The need for better soft skills is something we have considered, and that was one of the selling points of Skillsoft," Patricia said. "The university has a license for Atomic Learning, and it has a lot of technical courses and topics in it, but this was one of the things we liked about Skillsoft – it wasn't just all technical. It does bring in some of those business skills that some individuals may need to tap into."
In fact, DevelopWest even has a course called "Best Foot Forward." Need a better dynamic with your superiors? Try out "Maximizing your relationship with your Boss." Feel stuck in a rut and unable to come up with new ideas? Give the "Being Creative" course a chance to get your creative juices flowing again.
No matter what courses you choose to explore, the CBE's goal is for you to "Learn, Grow, Achieve."
"Learn new skills, grow in your position, and achieve your professional and personal goals," Patricia explained. "That's the benefit. Employees can learn from a variety of different topics that will hopefully improve their skill set. It will allow them to be more productive in their current position and possibly prepare them for other positions in the area of advancement, and lastly achieve whatever goals they may have."
The options on DevelopWest seem endless and can apply to any employee in any field or department. Human Resources Assistant Director Laquna Marrable lauds the program for its versatility.
"Easily said, it is an opportunity for our employees to seek information and training on a variety of topics related to their personal and professional development interests," Laquna said, who points out that employees can "learn at their work stations, in their homes, and on the go. Managers can also assign training that is beneficial to individual development needs of their employees and follow-up to check their progress along the way. The tool is an added benefit to the institution and demonstrates our continued investment in the success of our employees."
And the best part is: employees already have access to it and can start their personalized professional training now.
"We hope that people will give it a try, participate in it and grow from it," Patricia and Christy said. "We really want it to help them accomplish their personal and professional development goals."
To start your personalized training, go online at developwest.westga.edu and use your UWG ID and password to log in and grow!
Do you have a comment or opinion about this story's topic? Perspective Online wants to hear from you. Submit a letter to the editor at perspect@westga.edu today.
