Page 8 - BusinessWest July 24, 2023

Local Connections
American International College Aims to Stem Region’s Talent Drain
BY JOSEPH BEDNAR
[email protected]
Editor’s note: This article is the first installment of a new, monthly series on professional-development efforts at area colleges and universities. It’s as broad a topic as it sounds, and the higher- education community has certainly developed myriad strategies to help businesses find talent while helping area professionals access career ladders to advancement — and will share, during this series, the many ways they’re doing just that. Our first visit is to American International College in Springfield.
At a time when employers in most sectors are struggling to attract and retain a workforce, leveraging the impact of the region’s colleges and universities is more important than ever.
That’s part of what Hubert Benitez, president of American Inter- national College (AIC), conveyed during an address to a recent Rise and Shine Business Breakfast sponsored by the Springfield Region- al Chamber.
He highlighted that AIC graduates, coming from diverse back- grounds and primarily from the local area, make significant con- tributions to the economic development of the region — and that retaining talent within the community is key to enriching the social fabric of Greater Springfield and the surrounding region.
“Let’s explore how we can come together and join forces to serve the best interests of Springfield and Western Mass.,” he said. “That is the focus of our work at AIC.”
The intriguing part is how the college intends to boost workforce development and the regional economy — and it involves robust connections and communication with area businesses, in a number of sectors, to determine what they need, and what higher-education
“What we need
is the employers to truly look at
the academic institutions as their partners in this, because we need to be sitting at the table to hear what their needs are specifically.”
Hubert Benitez says it’s critical that colleges understand what businesses need in terms of worker skills and competencies.
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8 JULY 24, 2023
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