By Michael Fedor
An educated workforce is a key driver of organizational success. Yet in today’s fast-paced, ever-changing economy, there’s a growing knowledge and skills gap between employees’ current abilities and a company’s future needs.
How do organizations address this gap? What kind of training provides the most value to both workers and organizations? Should the training be created in-house or should it be outsourced?
At Central Penn College, we recognize that many companies struggle to create relevant training that addresses current and future needs. That’s why we developed three, customizable training solutions that enable employers to prepare today’s workforce for tomorrow’s challenges:
- Corporate Education Program – longer-term, customizable educational courses and programs focused on expanding employee capabilities
- Workforce Development Continuing Education Program – short-term training workshops and courses tailored to an organization’s needs
- Partner Program – a tiered approach to providing additional scholarships to employees for job-related learning
Who is Central Penn College?
Even though we have been around for 140 years, you may not be familiar with Central Penn College.
We are a small college specializing in career-focused education, especially in the areas of business, healthcare, management and communications. Our main campus is located in Summerdale, which is 10 minutes from Harrisburg. We have a secondary location in Lancaster. In addition, we’ve been offering quality online instruction since 2004.
The Coming Brain Drain
Companies today face a host of challenges, including responding to the pandemic, countering increased competition and replacing outdated technology. One of the most significant issues on the horizon for both large and small organizations is the Silver Tsunami, a demographic phenomenon when millions of Baby Boomers––born between 1946 and 1964––begin retiring in the next 10 years.
The oldest boomers are in their 70s, while the youngest will turn 57 this year. In the not-so-distant past, 55 was seen as a traditional retirement benchmark. While many older Americans are indeed working longer, it is expected that a large percentage of baby boomers––after spending four or five decades in the workforce––will opt to retire during the next decade. And that could be devastating to companies and organizations that aren’t prepared for such an eventuality.
How will your organization be affected by the Silver Tsunami? How do you replace that expertise, leadership and institutional knowledge of those senior employees? Does the current generation of younger workers have what it takes to take your company to the next level?
Three Solutions, One Source
Whether it’s helping companies prepare for the Silver Tsunami or other pressing issues, Central Penn College has a variety of targeted options that will enable organizations to successfully meet their challenges.
We built our suite of training programs so that they’re customizable based on an organization’s unique requirements. Our Corporate Education Program is designed for ongoing, longer-term needs in the area of leadership development for executives, managers and supervisors. The Workplace Development Program is targeted, short-term training that can be delivered in a variety of formats, from one-hour sessions to weekend workshops.
The Partner Program is an effective way for companies to enhance their tuition reimbursement benefits for employees pursuing job-related degrees. There are three levels for participating organizations, with scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $2,000 per employee. In addition, employees are eligible to receive other scholarships offered by the college and its Education Foundation.
Conclusion
Whatever your organization’s training needs, Central Penn College has an option for you.
Achieving success––now and in the future––requires an educated workforce that can adapt to changing market conditions and devise solutions that lead to greater growth.
Central Penn College can help you and your organization turn potential into performance… with one of our customized training programs!
As the Vice President of Advancement and Strategic Initiatives of Central Penn College, Michael Fedor leads an office charged with enhancing the ways the college delivers impact to communities in the capital region and beyond. Michael holds both a master’s and bachelor’s degree from Penn State University. He has been active in building complex solutions to organizations’ needs for nearly two decades. He can be reached at MichaelFedor@centralpenn.edu.