With grant funding assistance from EdSystems, committees are working to complete education and training pathways and stackable credentials in identified industry clusters. This work is being coordinated with relevant programs and resources from state and federal agencies.
Based on a recent employer survey, COMPACT partnered with Heartland Community College (HCC) faculty and staff to develop an Essential Workplace Skills curriculum consisting of five, 4-hour workshops that may be taken in any order:
- Using Effective Tools for Decision-Making and Goal-Setting
- Navigating Challenges and Stressors
- Understanding Customer Service Essentials
- Practicing Professionalism at Work
- Communicating Effectively
Certificates of completion and college credit are available. In addition, HCC will offer train-the-trainer classes for employers choosing to instruct their own employees. For more information, see www.heartland.edu/continuingEd/professionalDevelopment/eWS.html
Summer 2019 marked the inaugural season of Becoming BN, a program designed for all summer interns in McLean County to learn more about social events and cultural attributes of the area, as well as opportunities for networking and volunteering. The program is part of a broader talent attraction and retention focus of the Chamber of Commerce, COMPACT, and their partners.
COMPACT has a Program Evaluation and Process Improvement Committee that is currently reviewing and updating the strategic plan, examining potential refinements to committee/task force structures, creating updated logic models, and developing key metrics to gauge progress toward its education and employment goals.
