www.cuyamaca.net/ohweb/SUL-Conference/2012-SUL-Conference/SUL-2012-Attendee-Brochure.pdf                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

We will be hosting our second class one week later on January 25th entitled, "Making the Difference: Customer Care Essentials".  In this class you will learn the essentials of great customer service, how to exceed customer expectations, tricks of the trade to help your sales force deal with even the most challenging customers, and how to obtain and manage customer feedback for positive change within your business.   

Classes will be held at the Chamber on the 3rd and 4th Wednesdays of each month from 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM.  Be watching for new classes relevant to today's most important business topics and HR concerns.  For more information on how to register for classes contact Linda Waring, WpLRC Director (619) 660-4508 or Tracy Calahan, WpLRC Admin. Assistant, (619) 660-4583.

http://californiacommunitycolleges.cccco.edu/Portals/0/StudentSuccessTaskForce/REPORT_SSTF_FINAL_122911.pdf

  http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/economicroundtable/

Noted Names in Servant Leadership will gather in San Diego at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina, 138 Harbor Island Dr., San Diego, CA 92101 on January 31 - Feb. 2.

This global movement called Servant Leadership is more incarnational than informational-its best lived out! Join us for an energizing & insightful exploration of servant leadership in action and how these time- tested principles significantly improve performance, leadership effectiveness & yield sustainable results in today’s changing world. We will learn about this emerging paradigm in leadership from experts such as John Maxwell, Garry Ridge, Elizabeth Bryant, Tony Baron, Art Barter, Leonard Sweet & others -together in Sunny San Diego!

For more information go to http://www.forthesakeofothers.com/events/winter-conference-2012/

The curriculum for the workshops was developed by the Ken Blanchard Co. and is entitled, "Situational Self-Leadership for College Students."  Students will develop skills that will help them be better students, better employees and future business owners, and ultimately, better community members. 

Approximately 25 students will participate in these first workshops from the Community College Leadership Academy.  It is the hope that the CCLA will expand the workshops to include two more colleges next year and to additional student leaders from other clubs and organizations on campuses across the region.   

Topics Include:

• Preparing Students for an Agile Workplace
• Corporate View of Community Colleges and Workforce Readiness
• S T R E T C H I N G our Models for Learning
• Teaching in a Connected World
• Aligning Students with Authentic Careers
• Trends: Mobile, Collaborative, GPS and  Continual Assessment

Register Online: www.wplrc.org

For questions email info@wplrc.org

 • Receive a complete binder with ten 8-hour modules of instruction and a CD-ROM with all of the
     curriculum content.

www.sdrsp.org

For more information on this event go to:  

The report presents a new approach that answers some critical questions about the emerging economy, including:
• When will the jobs come back?
• Where will the jobs be? Which states? Which industries? Which occupations?
• What postsecondary certificates and degrees will be required?
• Will the education system be able to keep up?
• How much will it cost to fund the postsecondary education America needs?

 

 

• Read the Full Report (PDF)

The conference dates are June 27 through 30, 2010 and you can find more information at http://www.shrm.org/Conferences/annual/Pages/default.aspx

It is a vital time for the workforce industry with the influx of stimulus funding and an administration focused on recovering a struggling economy. With record unemployment across the country there has been no more important time for workforce organizations to raise the bar on service delivery and innovation.

Forum 2010 will bring leaders from workforce organizations, economic development, education, business, and others together to meet these challenges head on and to work together to prepare a competitive U.S. workforce.

Register NOW  at  http://www.nawb.org/forum/preconference.html

Susan Metros, a professor of design technology at Ohio State University, says that reading, writing and arithmetic are simply not enough for today’s students. What is important for learners is information: how to find it, how to focus it, and how to filter out nonsense. But for many students, their main source for information is Google, which Metros finds troubling.

Last year, she was surprised to learn at a conference that most people look only at the first few hits that come back from a Google query. In fact, only a tiny percentage of Google users even bother to glance at the second page of the search results. “It is well below 1 percent ,” she said.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Accountability was much discussed here last week at the annual meeting of the Association of Community College Trustees, and everyone agreed – in theory – that institutions should have to report on measures that demonstrate their quality or lack thereof. There were presentations on, and general support expressed for, the effort started by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Lumina Foundation for Education -- announced just before the meeting -- to develop a voluntary national accountability system for community colleges.

• Career technical educators, administrators, and counselors.
  
• Expert speakers from industry and the classroom discuss the impact of the emerging green economy on regional education such as renewable energy, automotive/transportation, environmental management, construction, landscaping, energy efficiency, water/waste water.
  
• Interactive breakout sessions will provide opportunities to explore best-practice models in use across the
  state preparing students for careers of the future. A complimentary continental breakfast, lunch and   snacks will be provided for all attendees. 

SAN DIEGO & SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--National University and the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office today announced a joint agreement which makes it easier for students at community colleges to transfer to National University, the state’s second-largest, private, nonprofit institution of higher education.

The purpose of the agreement is to provide greater opportunities for students at any of California’s 110 community colleges to pursue their goal of earning a bachelor’s degree if they have completed their lower-division community college transfer requirements or an associate’s degree. Students can transfer units earned toward an associate’s degree or lower division general education credits to National University and receive credit toward a bachelor’s degree. While the state’s public universities have this agreement in place, National University is one of a few private universities engaged in a similar community college transfer agreement.

As part of the agreement, National University will waive the standard $60 application fee for transfer students. Additionally, to encourage students who have transferred from a California Community College, National University will provide scholarships to every community college transfer student which will pay for the student’s final two classes in his or her degree program, an amount worth $2,682 under the University’s tuition schedule. To be eligible, transferring students must 1) be in good academic standing at the time of application; 2) have completed 30 semester units at a CCC or combination of CCCs; and, 3) their last semester of enrollment must have been at a CCC.

Under the agreement, three types of scholarships are available to students from community colleges who transfer to National University, including:

The California Community College Scholarship

• Offers each college the ability to award $1,600 to an outstanding student who transfers to National University.
• National will collaborate with local community colleges to select the students.

Collegiate Honors Scholarships

• Students transferring with collegiate honors (3.50 cumulative GPA) will be eligible for a scholarship at National University worth $1,600 that can be applied at the beginning of their program to help offset tuition expenditures.

Presidential Tuition Scholarships

• National University will provide up to 60 Presidential Tuition Scholarships per year.
• $2,500 for students meeting the outlined criteria.
• Scholarships are available to students who are eligible for Federal Student Aid to assist them with the cost of tuition.
• The scholarships are available for annual renewal.
• Students are eligible for the scholarship if they are:
  • Educationally and economically disadvantaged and have been historically underrepresented,
  • Single parents with financial need, or
  • Persons with a verified disability with financial need.

Through the agreement, the National University community college transfer program and the community colleges are taking steps to make higher education more accessible to California’s diverse student populations. Students in rural areas who are interested in transferring will be able to take their upper division courses online if a National University campus is geographically inaccessible.

For more information about National University, please contact David Neville, at (858) 642-8163 or via email at dneville@nu.edu. For more information about the California Community Colleges, contact Paige Marlatt Dorr, Director of Communications, at (916) 327-5356 or via email at PDorr@cccco.edu.

About National University

Founded in 1971, National University is the second-largest private, nonprofit institution of higher education in California with 22,000 full-time students and 119,000 alumni. National University is dedicated to making lifelong learning opportunities accessible, challenging and relevant to a diverse population of students. Five schools and one college – the Schools of Business and Management; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services, and Media and Communication; and the College of Letters and Sciences – offer 100 graduate and undergraduate degrees and 22 teacher credentials at more than 30 locations throughout California and in Henderson, Nevada. A leader in online education, National University offers more than 60 degree programs via the Internet. National University is headquartered in La Jolla, California. To learn more, visit www.nu.edu.

About the California Community College System

The California Community Colleges is the largest higher educational system in the nation comprised of 72 districts and 110 colleges with more than 2.8 million students per year. Community colleges are the largest workforce provider in the state and offer more than 175 degree and certificate programs in hundreds of fields such as, advance manufacturing, biotechnology, business, and computer science. The system trains more than 70 percent of nurses and 80 percent of the fire, law enforcement and emergency medical technicians in California. The Chancellor’s Office provides leadership, advocacy and support under the direction of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. For more information about the community colleges, please visit www.cccco.edu.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6024012&lang=en

Valuing Diversity at Work: explores cultural and non-cultural differences representing benefits and barriers to getting work done, and reveals the value that those differences bring to any organization.

Navigating Technology @ Work:  trains you for today’s digital workforce, using computers, applications, networking, devices, and safeguards for operating them safely.

WpLRC customized more than ten different courses and designed marketing opportunities that afforded small businesses the opportunity to network with prime contractors and key public agency representatives. As the program grew, it became more targeted to specific audiences within public agency contracting and consulting. It served all stakeholders in public agency contracting by addressing universal business topics, agency issues and contracting and consulting specifics in an effort to improve everyone’s understanding of public works contracting, while it also provided the most comprehensive and in-depth information on how to do business with the Water Authority. The San Diego Supplier Development Council voted The Training Source the “2004 Exemplary Small Business Program Initiative” sponsored by a public agency. San Diego Business Journal and Wells Fargo Bank recognized the Water Authority for its outstanding support of diversity, training and outreach with the 2005 Multicultural Heritage Award, crediting The Training Source and Paths to Partnership programs with facilitating nearly $2.25 million in contract awards to small businesses on Water Authority projects.

Attendence is invitation only, but Linda has an open door policy for everyone with ideas related to how the WpLRC can help train others in the San Diego and Imperial Counties.  Please contact Linda about your attendance, or if you'd like to talk training with her.

DATE:
Sept. 22, 2009

TIME:
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

LOCATION:
Rancho San Diego Library
11555 Via Rancho San Diego
El Cajon, CA 92019

WpLRC designed four customized three-hour classes teaching employees how to apply communication, problem-solving, and change management tools to accomplish a smooth transition. They taught skills required to assure and sustain ongoing continuous improvement activities in the areas of electronic case management and customer service. WpLRC conducted 133 training sessions totaling 12,768 hours of instructional time. The program uncovered the need for training in additional soft skill and computer end-user training.

When Alden Zeitz started the Wind Energy Program at Iowa Lakes Community College five years ago, 15 students enrolled.

This year, 102 students enrolled in the two-year training program for wind turbine technicians, including some students who abandoned another career for the economic promise of green technology. The wind energy industry hasn't been immune to the recession, but students are counting on the federal government's injection of $80 billion in clean energy projects to change that.

Stimulus for Green Energy

The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 is a stimulus package that includes money for solar farms, wind turbines, electrical grid updates, mass transit, and the weatherizing and retrofitting of buildings. Besides its environmental benefits, the spending is expected to produce much needed jobs—about 1 million to 1.5 million of them, according to estimates by some environmental groups.

"We've had a slow year because of the global economy," Zeitz says. "But our industry is poised to recover quickly."

The clean energy economy accounted for about 770,000 jobs in 2007, according to a recent study from the Pew Charitable Trusts. But job boards might soon be populated with openings for environmental engineers, construction managers, hydrologists, architects, and interior designers with green building training, as well as for directors of environmentally focused nonprofit groups.

Best-Paying Green Jobs

Not all of these jobs will pay top salaries. Many of the new green-collar jobs will be taken by blue-collar construction workers. BusinessWeek teamed up with PayScale.com to determine the highest-paid green jobs. Wind turbine technicians, who earn a median pay of $53,600, ranked 12th on our list of 21 jobs. Environmental engineering managers, who typically earn $103,200, topped the list.

You won't necessarily need a science degree to land a green job. Environmental companies will need secretaries, administrators, and public relations specialists. And construction companies will need workers to install energy-efficient boilers, windows, and insulation.

"We project that about a million jobs will come out of the stimulus investment," says Phil Angelides, chairman of the San Francisco-based Apollo Alliance, a coalition of labor, business, and environmental groups that advocates for clean energy.  (BusinessWeek July 23, 2009, 10:45AM EST) Full Article

We all know why executives and employees are feeling highly anxious these days: layoffs and the threat of layoffs, failed strategies, unpredictable business shifts, the all pervasive uncertainty. Here, Karen Sumberg, a vice-president at the Center for Work-Life Policy, talks about the very measurable effects of stress in the workplace.

She and her colleagues conducted a three-month long research project, "Sustaining High Performance in Difficult Times, in the spring of 2008, as the recession was just starting to take hold. They interviewed some 200 employees who had been identified by their bosses as having "high potential." What the Center found was troubling; what's going on now, Sumberg says, is even worse. Excerpts from her conversation with Associate Editor Susan Berfield:

What was the main conclusion of your study?

Well, we found that the financial turmoil and all the layoffs were stressful for everybody and bad for the companies. Loyalty, engagement, and trust had all gone down compared to a year earlier. Before 95% of the people we interviewed said they were very loyal to their employer; in 2008, that number had fallen to 53%. Trust in their company had gone from 79% to 37%. That's trusting your manager, the company, what you think is going to happen. There's a lot of stress around that. The person you never thought would get laid off does, and you think there are no rules. Engagement—the willingness to go the extra mile—was down from 91% to 71%.

How did the companies take these results?

The loyalty number is a huge blow. And when trust is gone, that's it. As for engagement, people were engaged as a means of survival.

What did the participants say about how their managers were handling the stress?

Everything seems very tribal, very Lord of the Flies, in times like this. There is a feeling that people are withholding information. But the people at the top really don't always know more. Sharing that they didn't have anything to share would be more helpful. They can say, "As soon as I know something, I will tell you." That can go against the grain, but it can endear you to people.

We found that manager interventions are important. Building bonds and comraderie with the team is important. Managers making themselves visible and available, just walking around the office is important. It seems like "no duh," but people don't always do it. Managers are shutting their doors and calling their contacts. They are becoming more isolated.

Were any managers doing the right things?

We heard about some teams that had paid for a physical trainer once a week during lunch time. Others would just go outside, even if it was with brown bag lunches. Getting out of the office is good. Giving recognition for work, even a thank you note, motivates people when there's no money to give out.

Letting people volunteer during work hours is a great boon to companies. It's a great way to retain people. It takes people out of their crisis and stress and refocuses them. Giving back is a really important thing, a very powerful tool and it's tremendously gratifying. In some companies, people had the time. And if a company says you should go help someone else, that's a great thing. That's a powerful reward.

What advice did you give to the companies involved?

That the communication has to be authentic, not one-size-fits-all. After a town hall meeting, teams should debrief and talk about what people heard—which is sometimes different than what was said.

We suggested that they think about finding ways to keep relationships with some of the people they had to lay off. They could create job banks, alumni groups. They could offer unpaid sabbaticals instead of layoffs in some cases. It's not so simple, we know. A layoff is awful, it's a breakup, but there are ways to handle it more effectively.

We also reminded them to put in the face time with the clients and customers. Make sure they know what is going on, that they are getting an honest account so they don't see the need to take their business elsewhere.

And we told them not to forget about yourself. Don't shut out friends and families. Get what you need. If you put up your shell, the Mack truck will still hit you. But if you have a support system, there will be someone to pick you up from the road. It's easy to get lost in the panic and speculating.

Were executives surprised by any of your findings?

They were surprised that some of the interventions are so simple, that some of the quick wins could really pay off. These are easy things to do.

Did the executives take any of your advice?

The companies did start doing some of this. Our president, Sylvia Ann Hewlett, conducted some meetings for managers. We sometimes call it the "perma frost" of middle management. They have to feel special and know what they need to do because the message from the top can get lost there amid the panic.

Berfield is an associate editor at BusinessWeek .

Last month, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled in favor of a hospital employee who sued a surgeon for emotional distress and assault based on his treatment of the person at work. The ruling drew national attention as an acknowledgment by the courts of workplace bullying both as a phenomenon and as legal terminology, says Garry Mathiason, chair of the corporate compliance practice group at labor and employment law firm Littler Mendelson. He spoke recently to Smart Answers columnist Karen E. Klein about the implications of the Indiana case for small business owners. Edited excerpts of their conversation follow.

In a survey of U.S. workers released last fall, nearly half said they had either been bullied at work or seen other employees bullied, according to the Workplace Bullying Institute. What should entrepreneurs think of those numbers?

The prevalence of bullying at work—54 million people have been bullied at some point, the institute estimates, based on the survey—combined with the recent court decision should serve as a warning for small businesses nationally to develop proactive measures preventing bullying at their companies.

What was the Indiana case about?

There was behavior claimed to be intentional inflicting of emotional distress by a surgeon who apparently had a terrible temper. What was particularly interesting about the case was that the jury instructions used the phrase "workplace bullying" and it was questioned whether that term was too general. But the Supreme Court said the term had viability as a commonsense phrase for a jury. (BusinessWeek  May 7, 2008) Full Article

“There are a lot of more senior people who wouldn't have done that,” Stockman said.

Meet the Millennial Generation. At ease with technology, used to being the center of their parents' universe, the children of the '80s can act in ways that shock their older bosses.

“This is a generation that has been put on a pedestal more than any generation in history,” said Lisa Orrell, author of “Millennials Incorporated.” “When they walk into a workplace, they expect to be respected.”

As more baby boomers postpone retirement, they're more likely to rub shoulders with their company's newest hires. Here's a guide to deciphering their behavior:

They're “digital natives”: Where you may find learning new technology a chore or intimidating, they find it second nature and understand how to use it intuitively. While you might pick up the phone, they will send rapid-fire instant messages or texts. Make this work to your advantage by asking them to help you or your staff learn.

Privacy is passé: Facebook. MySpace. YouTube. Keeping personal information or private events off the Internet just doesn't matter much to this age group. Intensely social, they are willing to sacrifice privacy to meet new people or make connections, Stockman said.

Paying dues is pointless: The concept of staying with a company for life is all but dead, and so is the concept of climbing the ladder. Many Millennials expect to change jobs frequently or work for themselves eventually.

They crave attention: Maybe you're happy when the boss is away. Millennials are used to being constantly in touch with their parents by text and cell phone. On the job, they expect frequent communication from their managers, Orrell said.

They are confident: Millennials are sometimes called the “Everyone Gets a Star” generation. Though sometimes arrogant, Millennials tend to be very sensitive to criticism. Taught that their opinion matters, they expect to share theirs freely, even with the boss, Stockman said.

(San Diego Union Tribune Friday, March 20, 2009)