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Partnering in Training:
Penn State Great Valley’s Corporate Training Programs
With millions of people unemployed or underemployed, the U.S. workforce needs help. New funding for employee training and development can provide a substantial boost if businesses know how to connect to it. The Office of Continuing Professional Education at Penn State Great Valley is working to help local companies identify that funding and benefit from important professional development that shrinking training budgets could not otherwise afford.
In September, local employers learned about stimulus money and other options for funding workforce development at a free workshop hosted by Penn State Great Valley, titled “Obtaining Government Money for Training: It’s Easier Than You Think.” Representatives from the Workforce Investment Board, Chester County Economic Development Council, and Career Link presented information on state funding options. Local corporations that have received government training money shared their experiences.
Tracy Renschler, senior manager of human resources for Comcast, recently took advantage of two grants that helped fund training for over seventy Comcast employees. When she informed Jay Polakoff, continuing professional education program manager, that her training budget was not big enough to fund customized courses, he helped her with grants supported through the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.
Penn State advised Renschler in identifying grants that Comcast might qualify for, gathered the information, and advised her through the application process. “The process was fairly easy,” says Renschler, who used the grant money to fund a Penn State Great Valley customized JAVA course and a technical writing/unified modeling language training program. “It took about an hour to complete the application and just a few weeks to get a response.” Once the training was completed, Polakoff helped submit the materials needed for reimbursement, which arrived a few weeks later. “I would not have been able to do this without Penn State.” She adds, “They did all the research that I just didn’t have the time to do myself. Jay knew every deadline and proactively provided me with the materials I needed. It was eye-opening to learn how easy it actually is.” Renschler believes the training helped improve Comcast’s professional development ratings on a recent employee survey.
Georgia Dimaano, manager of human resources for Morphotek, agrees. “Penn State originally introduced me to the idea of obtaining funding through training grants, and together we brainstormed on what training needs we had and what could be covered under various grant opportunities.” Thirty-four Morphotek employees received advanced excel training, presentation and communication skills, and advanced Microsoft project training over a two-year period. Dimaano was pleased with the results. “It’s definitely worthwhile to pursue the training grant opportunities. The payoff can be significant, and it helps employee retention and development.”