As a county appointed member of the Triangle South Workforce Development Board and being a current grad student in the HRD program at the University of Illinois, I have been able to blend my HRD learning into what the board seeks to accomplish.
For those not familiar with Workforce Development Boards in your area (as all states have regional ones) we use the federal Workforce Investment Act funds that we receive annually to help local companies and educational institutions offer more training for students and people who are out of work to make them more employable.
The boards are created of 30 to 40 business, educational and HR professionals who visit companies in teams to see what type of on the job training or continued learning they offer and help them either modernize or create programs. We use the HRD process to analyze jobs, and teach them how to offer training to best fit the organizational strategy they have. In tandem we visit local community colleges and universities to offer guidance on curriculum and what type of workshops they offer to make sure students will be ready to match up with the jobs that are out there.
We have successfully created a simulated manufacturing floor and process shop at Central Carolina Community College where the unemployed and students can go and learn about automated manufacturing and the factory process form office to shipping. The training is developed via classroom, hands on and with e learning to develop talents and a career path. Once they graduate the program they are placed in a local manufacturer who has an on the job training program.
The board members assist in developing the training program that companies such as Moen, Caterpillar, and GKN Driveline needs and if they do not have specific training programs we help develop them. We use our HRD skills in analyzing and what method of training is best for their new and existing workforce through interviews and speaking to their HR departments to gather information on job descriptions. With this information we can through work analysis develop the programs that work best and that may be developing an e-learning program for them.
The Workforce Board also runs Career Centers in our four county region where we have an HRD practitioner assist people in resume writing, interview skills, and career coaching, as well as presenting training on how to deal with the job search in a successful and positive manner. They are also trained to navigate the myriad of applicant tracking systems that exist and how to follow up with companies.
What I have learned in my HRD program at Illinois has helped me immensely in my volunteer duties and job. As an HR professional I now can offer more to my company and aid others in landing a successful career and developing their talents.
Grad Student in HRD
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign