CBJ Workforce Leaders 2019

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CRCSD’s Tara Troester helps bridge gapbetween education and industryFrom leading the creation of career website portals, to organizing an ICR Future Ready CareerFair that attracted more than 100 area high school seniors to bringing her enthusiasmfor K12 educational opportunities to the multiple industry sector boards, Tara Troesterwins accolades all around for helping bridge the gap between education and industry.“In title, Tara is CTE (Career Technical Education) Lead Curriculum Facilitator for theCedar Rapids Community School District but in reality, she is so much more!” wroteAdvanced Manufacturing Board Facilitator Barb Rawson, one of several persons whonominated Ms. Troester for the Excellence in Employer & Education Workforce CollaborationAward. Ms. Rawson called Ms.Troester “instrumental” in helpingthe Advanced Manufacturing SectorBoard Portal Committee definewhat educators were looking forand students needed as they set up acareer exploration web portal. She is“extraordinarily talented at connectingwith the students and providingthem educational opportunitieswith real world work relevance,” Ms.Rawson added.Ms. Troester expanded the Marchcareer fair, held for the second yearExcellence in Employer & EducationWorkforce CollaborationCEDAR RAPIDSCOMMUNITY SCHOOLDISTRICTin partnership with sector boards, ICR Iowa and school districts in the region, to pull instudents from smaller area communities including Belle Plaine, Center Point, Monticello,Urbana and Springville, along with those from bigger high schools in Cedar Rapids,Marion and Iowa City. A record number of students and businesses participated, with atleast one employer, Whirlpool, reporting 20 hires as a result of the event.Build My Future, a hands-on event to help students learn about opportunities inACE, gave 150 youth a taste of GAPS surveying, shingling, hanging and mudding drywall,pipefitting, masonry work and more.“Tara helped the industry professionals understand the challenges schools facein selecting which events to attend, reasonable timeframes and expectations, budgetconcerns and offered insights in how industry activities can engage students,” wroteanother nominator.“Tara brings amazing insights, enthusiasm and a get-it-done attitude to our volunteerboard which is greatly needed to keep all parties engaged and continuing to workon workforce needs long term,” wrote Kirkwood Program Developer and ACE SectorBoard Facilitator Kylie Gudenkauf.Her colleague, Kirkwood’s Senior Director of Corporate Training Amy Lasack agrees.“Without Tara and Cedar Rapids Community School District at the table with ourregion’s employers, our region would not be able to continue moving forward withinnovative opportunities for our youth, our next workforce,” she said. •Why is it important tocollaborate with localeducation entities?The Cedar Rapids CommunitySchool District is a wonderfulexample of working hand inhand with local employers.As students are makingdecisions about their nextsteps, having a K-12 institutionready for discussion iskey for our companies toconnect with potentialfuture workforce. Thesediscussions have allowed forinnovative programming andopportunities for studentsthat might not have happenedwithout this collaboration.What advice would yougive an organizationlooking to partner withlocal education entities?Employers and educationneed each other. In order toprovide employees that areskills-ready and interested towork at our local employers,education needs the employerpartnership and input.Employers and educationentities should developstrong relationships throughparticipation in groups suchas industry sector boards.cr.k12.ia.us2500 Edgewood Road NWCedar Rapids, IA 52405(319) 558-200012 CBJ WORKFORCE LEADERS 2019
Clickstop’s training programs gives employeesopportunities to learn and thriveClickstop’s self-driven learning culture is key to the Urbana-basedonline retailer’s success in training for existing employee needs, said Directorof Communications Jeremy Meyer. The company uses onboarding,mentorship and talent development programs; leadership andexecutive development workshops; and new leader integration and peerdiscussion sessions to ignite employees’ desire to learn and personalconviction to transform to thebest version of themselves.“We strive to provide creativeautonomy and flexibility Best Training for Existingin responsibilities to allowEmployment Needsemployees the opportunityto learn through new andchallenging experiences,” Mr.CLICKSTOPMeyer said. To make learningaccessible, Clickstop hostson-site workshops, providesaccess to e-learning programs and reimburses employees for outsidetraining and certifications. Nearly 20 percent of Clickstop’s 145-strongworkforce participates in its mentoring program, designed to increaseemployees’ awareness and reflections on their learning.Since 2018, Clickstoppers have invested 420 employee hours participatingin talks by experts on business and leadership topics, peergroup discussion and one-on-one coaching and collaboration andleadership building through Leading Edge and Vistage workshops. Employeesdon’t need to hold formal management roles to participate inleadership sessions, which have also been opened up to other companiesin the Corridor to give Clickstoppers the opportunity to gain newperspectives and ideas from other businesses.Debuting this year, the six-month New Leader Integration programgave six participants deeper understanding in such areas as leveragingstrengths of team members, leading with the Clickstop Code, havingeffective employee Impact conversations and developing an employeeengagement strategy.Eight upcoming leaders joined in peer group discussions, allowingthem to cultivate relationships, learn from each other andgain greater awareness of the ripple effects of decisions and company-wideinitiatives.Each quarter, the Clickstop leadership team nominates top performersand high-potential employees for support by the TalentEnrichment Team in identifying their goals, strengths and areas wherethey’d like to focus their development. Eighteen employees have participatedthis year.Getting new employees off on the right foot is key, so before newhires are trained on their job functions, they spend a week learningabout the company’s mission, values, teams, goals and top businessinitiatives from other Clickstoppers. The Clickstart program has onboarded40 employees since 2018 and has proved its worth.The “time to impact once the employees get into their roles” isreduced because “they know why we do what we do and where to findwhat they need to be successful,” said Mr. Meyer. •Why is training and developing employeesimportant to Clickstop?Rather than looking at change as a threat, wesee it as a part of our competitive advantage.“The minute we ignore the need for changeis the minute we stop growing and thingsstart heading the wrong direction,” CEO TimGuenther said. “The longer we wait to adapt tochange, the more the damages will be.”At Clickstop, a big part of how peoplelearn is through the changing, challengingenvironment where people are given a lot ofautonomy to experiment and try new things: toput themselves in challenging situations thatrequire them to stretch their capabilities everyday. This type of environment allows a variety ofstrengths to be identified and sharpened.What would you recommend to anorganization looking to implement anemployee training program?Start with providing clear expectations ofthe employee’s role. Help her understandwhy the role is important to the success ofthe organization. What are the initiatives ofthe company? What is the company seekingto accomplish? How is her work tied to theinitiatives? This creates purpose. Purposefuels growth.When purpose is present, you will find thatemployees are more heavily invested in thesuccess of the business, assuming the employeealigns with the values of the organization.This investment leads to greater creativityin one’s approach to their work and createsopportunities to grow for both employee andemployer. Employees aren’t necessarily lookingto skip jobs every few years, but they are lookingfor new opportunities.clickstop.com202 Blue Creek Drive, Urbana, IA 52345(800) 383-0592CBJ WORKFORCE LEADERS 2019 13
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