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More than 250 staff members have completed the Business and Industry Services Certification Program during the past 11 years. “The program is designed to prepare new staff from Oklahoma's technology centers for meeting the training and education needs of the state’s businesses and industries,” according to Karen Gutenkauf, adult career and development program consultant at the state CareerTech agency. Last year CareerTech’s business and industry training programs had more than 375,790 enrollments through the state’s technology center system. Training programs are developed for coordinators working with industry-specific/existing industry, adult and career development, and the Training for Industry Program, for new and expanding business and small business development in Oklahoma. The coordinators who are new to the CareerTech system often come from industry and benefit from this opportunity to cross train and network, said Gutenkauf. Certificates were presented to the current graduating class of 26 new BIS coordinators at the conclusion of the second in the two-part program through the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education on March 3. Between the two sessions, each participant is paired with a mentor. Together, they visit business and industry partners and peers across the state to identify training needs and how to fulfill them. “The CareerTech system has business and industry coordinators across the state who have had their own businesses, are bankers, retail store managers, manufacturing plant managers, attorneys, real estate brokers, career specialists and economic development directors,” Gutenkauf said. They come to our system as experts in such areas as financial accounting, human resource management, marketing, business law, business planning and informational systems, just-in-time manufacturing and total quality management. Through this program, they learn who the experts are in the various areas that they can call on to provide the best service possible for their clients.” Topics addressed during the first session included CareerTech system orientation, strategic planning, school data reporting, business communications, economic develoment and team-building. During the final segment of the training program, participants attended a Program Management Institute, delivered by the Learning Resource Network – LERN - an international non profit educational association offering information and consulting to providers of life long learning. Training was received in the area of Finance and Budgeting, Marketing, Program Development, Program Analysis, Program Management, as well as how students learn and how to teach. Posted March 15, 2006 |