As Executive Director of USF Corporate Training and Professional Education, I customarily use this blog space to offer my take on leadership in the workforce. This time around, I’d like to speak to my recent interview with The EvoLLLution, an online newspaper devoted to the advancement of higher education. The conversation took place shortly after my appointment as a board member to the National Council for Continuing Education & Training (NCCET). I was grateful for the opportunity to speak candidly about topics that are very important to me.
Relatedly, we should also pay attention to the current climate. At different times in our nation’s history, circumstances have arisen that prompted periods of vast and swift training (think of World War II). In our current day, cybercrime has become a formidable menace. The need for cybersecurity professionals is great and will be for the foreseeable future. Pathways exist for willing individuals to be trained in fields such as cybersecurity or paralegal in a matter of months and not years. These are affordable, tangible avenues to employment with a fair salary.
Universities and community colleges are vital to the effort, and they tend to work together within the space of continuing education. These institutions can combine the pedagogical expertise of higher learning with instruction from real-world, experienced practitioners. For example, USF Corporate Training and Professional Education emphasizes the quality of our programming and how it will benefit its participants for the long haul. We are interested in lasting relationships, not a check-the-box attitude toward continuing education.
The future, I believe, is promising—and I’m excited about its prospects! I want to be part of the creative movement that will spur the innovation that keeps the contemporary workforce up to date, engaged, and satisfied. As a board member of NCCET, I’m making new connections and interacting with like-minded individuals committed to workforce development. In a world of rapid change, continuing education can help facilitate the demand for upskilling and reskilling for an economic and competitive advantage.