Page 14 - BusinessWest September 18, 2023

Courses of Action
HCC Helps Individuals, Businesses Reach Higher
BY GEORGE O’BRIEN
[email protected]
This is the third article in a monthly series examining how area colleges and universities are partnering with local businesses, workforce-develop- ment bodies, and other organizations to address professional-development needs in the region. One college will be featured each month.
Communication. Teamwork. Networking. Listening.
Jeff Hayden acknowledged that, to many, these sound like buzz- words in discussions about the workplace and how to succeed within
it — or about how companies can become more productive and achieve con- tinuous improvement.
But in reality, these are just some the skills that individuals must possess if they want to thrive in their chosen career and move up the ladder within it. And they are the qualities that businesses large and small must stress if they want to prosper in an increasingly global, intensely competitive business cli- mate — and if they want to successfully compete for talent and retain it.
And these are just some of the skill sets — some broad, some very spe- cific — that help define a full roster of professional-development programs at Holyoke Community College (HCC), which Hayden serves as vice president of Business and Community Services.
“Those words, like teamwork and communication, feel like buzzwords, but in reality, those are the places where employee satisfaction and produc- tivity find their nexus,” he said. “It’s really a unique spot where one can see the gain for the company, but also the gain for themselves.”
These touchpoints run through the portfolio of programs at HCC, the Commonwealth’s oldest community college, which include everything from a non-credit “Introduction to Bookkeeping” course to a women’s leadership lunch series; from certificate programs in residential interior design and
“Those words, like teamwork and communication, feel like buzzwords, but
in reality, those are the places where employee satisfaction and productivity find their nexus.”
Jeff Hayden says professional-development initiatives have become an important part of the mission at HCC.
14 SEPTEMBER 18, 2023
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