Special Focus:
Executive/Continuing Education

Workforce productivity and improving efficiencies directly link to the skills your employees demonstrate. Staying on top of training needs is often more overwhelming than what an in-house professional development team can effectively manage.

Gwinnett Technical College (GTC) offers a broad range of continuing education courses to teach new skills or earn re-certifications. In addition, GTC is the largest corporate training resource in Gwinnett – whether providing that training through a Georgia Quick Start or Georgia Work Ready initiative, or developing customized training for a business-specific need.

“Companies, like WIKA Instrument Corporation for example, will approach GTC with a training need,” explains Ann Sechrist, GTC’s director of State Workforce Development Programs. “We talk to these companies at length to better understand their mission, find out their needs, what challenges they face and the steps needed to address the challenges. Then we develop a corporate training program that incorporates that company’s unique vision and mission into the curriculum.”

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Special Focus:
Executive/Continuing Education – Helpful Resources

In challenging times, an investment in continuing education and professional development can grow and energize a business and its employees. By offering your staff the opportunity to increase their education and network with their fellow professionals, you’ll develop well-rounded, knowledgeable employees that make production thrive. But is ongoing training a strategic priority for business?

Commenting on a recent Gwinnett Business Journal Facebook query, Benny StaRomana, managing principal at SantaRomana & Associates, LLC, responded that continuing education ranks very high for his company. “We need to know how to manage the effects of technology and global socio-economic evolution to survive and thrive. One way is to react, the better way is to pro-act. Education makes the latter possible,” wrote StaRomana.

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The curse for many of us is that there simply aren’t enough hours in the workday to accomplish everything on our to-do lists. Worse yet, when we finally do get on a productivity roll, distractions waiting in the wings tend to throw us off course.

“One of the biggest time wasters we all face is spending too much time on those things that don’t require it,” says Jason Womack, a workplace performance expert, executive coach and author of the new book, Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More. “But when you learn to recognize when you’re done with a task, you’ll have valuable minutes, and maybe even hours, added back into your day.”

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Did you know that even if you don’t shoot hoops or follow collegiate basketball, the friendly competition that typically surrounds March Madness can be a morale-booster and bring out team spirit in the workplace.

According to Melissa Doster, Gwinnett OfficeTeam branch manager for Robert Half International, “Many employees are taking on heavier workloads, so non-monetary benefits such as March Madness activities have an especially important role right now in keeping workers motivated in their positions.”

1. The NCAA basketball tournament is an opportunity for workers to bond as they talk about scores and root for their favorite schools.
2. Employers can hold viewing parties during a brown bag lunch or potluck meal.

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by Mark Cole

So you’ve recruited the right person and background checks are complete. Ready to join the team and knowing that your team agrees, this person has the right attitude, skill set and appears to have caught the vision for your organization…so what’s next? Set your new hires up for success.

Here is how we do this at The John Maxwell Company.

1. Celebrate them on their first day. We welcome new employees on the first day with a catered lunch for our entire staff. This exposes them to the social side of our team, our fun and relational environment.
2. Be methodical and strategic the first 80 hours on the job. We offer an in-depth training program, and introduce them to the people and tasks to set them up for instant success. We also build in personal reflection time to process what they’re learning.

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