NOVA Workforce
Vision: To be a community and industry leader in workforce development.
Mission: To provide customer focused workforce solutions for the community that assist and support regional businesses and employers develop and sustain a qualified workforce enabling them to be a high-performing operation.
The Services we provide include:
• Customized Training (at the business site or on campus)
• Continuing Education & Professional Development
• Consultation on Organizational Development
As we get ready to close our offices for the year and enjoy time off with our families, we’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our students, our partners, and our communities for helping us create programs that benefit individuals and companies. We look forward to the new year, and we wish you a safe, happy holiday season!
As a small token of appreciation, please enjoy this 2016 calendar. (click link below for PDF.)
Dealing with stakeholders, especially difficult ones, can be among a project manager’s more frustrating responsibilities. According to the Project Management Institute (PMI) 2013 PMBOK, a project stakeholder is “an individual, group, or organization, who may affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision, activity, or outcome of a project.”
Most project managers depend on the old model of “managing stakeholders,” which entails keeping project stakeholders informed, updated, and monitored to ensure steady, efficient progress. As you can imagine, communication is key. So is consistent engagement:
Stakeholder management needs to focus more on engagement in order to move projects from installation to implementation. …Projects should start with the premise that identifying a range of stakeholders and engaging with them in a consistent and organized manner will improve project success. (Engaging Stakeholders for Project Success, pmi.org 2015)
In her insightful article How to Train Your Sponsor, Laura Barnard, PMP (PMOstrategies.com) indicates that “the number one factor in determining success or failure of your change initiative is…sponsor engagement.” Barnard goes beyond communication and trust to provide several ways that sponsors—who can be considered stakeholders themselves—can be motivated and engaged to become an effective part of project management.
Effective project management requires learning how to move beyond the traditional approach of “managing stakeholders” to a more modern approach: making stakeholders your partners. Partnership creates a sense of ownership that allows intuitive buy-in from all stakeholders on the project. Successful partnerships also mitigate risk.
There is a strong correlation between stakeholder management and risk management. Without the buy-in and full commitment from stakeholders, projects, regardless of their success factors, are at high risk for failure. (7 tips to transform difficult stakeholders into project partners, by Moira Alexander, via CIO.com)
The Educational Alliance of NOVA Workforce Development Division and PMIWDC are presenting a Project Management Training Seminar for project managers and PMPs to discover a new approach of making stakeholders your partners.
This workshop is presented by Ron Taylor, an internationally-known leader, lecturer, author, and consultant, as well as the principal and founder of the Ron Taylor Group. He is a past President of the Washington D.C. Chapter of the Project Management Institute (PMIWDC.org), the largest PMI Chapter in the world with over 10,000 members.
New! Half Day Saturday
Saturday, November 21, 2015, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
4 PDUs; $220.00 per person
NOVA Reston Center
1831 Wiehle Avenue, Room 309
Reston, VA 20190
Metro Accessible: Wiehle-Reston East (Silver Line)
Refreshments provided!
On October 13, ACLI faculty from all of NOVA’s campuses gathered at NOVA’s Pender location to develop new ideas and strategies to apply in their classrooms. About 70 faculty members attended the event, which was kicked off by a demonstration of MyEnglishLab, an online program for ESL instructors presented by Pearson Education representative Lynn Napolitano.
“I am honored to be a part of helping and appreciating your faculty and you! It was a fabulous learning occasion for all, as well as good venue for faculty to socialize with colleagues.” (Lynn Napolitano, Pearson ELT Representative)
Three concurrent learning sessions provided attendees with new strategies to help ACLI faculty approach learning and language challenges that are a part of every ESL student’s experience.
“I just want to take a moment to say thank you for the fabulous day you made for us yesterday. The presentations were very motivating and provided many ideas for improvements in my own classes. Also, the luncheon was exquisite!! …Thank you very very much for making our day so special!” (ACLI Faculty, NOVA)
Meeting the Unique Challenges of Saudi Learners in American IEPs
Betsy Wong [blwong@nvcc.edu], an ACLI instructor at NOVA’s Alexandria campus, presented an overview of the differing educational and cultural expectations to which Saudi learners must adjust when attending higher education institutions in the United States. She offered strategies to help instructors tap into these learners’ strengths in order to navigate a whole new way of learning.
Separating Difference from Disability in an ESL Classroom
Antonina Rodgers, ACLI Coordinator at NOVA’s Annandale campus, led a workshop that explored ways to identify different issues impeding student academic progress. She discussed different cognitive learning styles and acculturation stress, which may present symptoms very similar to those of disabilities.
Engaging ELLs and Building Student Confidence in Oral and Written Communication: Effective Uses of Web 2.0 Tools
Krisztina Domjan, an ACLI/ESL instructor at NOVA’s Annandale campus, offered participants a foundation for creating stimulating, challenging and engaging activities relevant to English language learners. ACLI instructors had a hands-on opportunity to learn how to enhance learning through the application of Web 2.0 tools to strengthen oral and written communication skills in their students.
After a delicious lunch, the ACLI faculty enjoyed a lively presentation by Nigel Caplan, an ESL instructor and materials writer. (his bio is below.) Nigel began his presentation with the question, “What have you written lately?” and waited patiently while his audience responded with the usual: emails, texts, greeting cards, lesson plans, and other daily writing tasks.
“No one in this room, I’ve noticed, has recently written a five-paragraph essay.”
Nigel’s presentation taught the faculty that using different writing genres, rather than rhetorical modes, increases student motivation, adds authenticity to tasks, and promotes writing and language development. He presented three flexible classroom-tested assignments that teach comparative and descriptive writing as well as task-essential grammar in meaningful contexts: an email, a restaurant review, and a real estate listing.
This day was a perfect opportunity to celebrate all that NOVA’s faculty contribute to the ACLI program and their daily efforts both in and out of the classroom to help our ESL students succeed. Teachers enjoyed chatting about classes and non-ESL related matters, and ACLI was happy to host ESL faculty from NOVA’s College ESL program, as well as Virginia Tech LCI faculty. ACLI hopes to continue its collaboration with area ESL programs in providing professional opportunities for its faculty.
“When I attend something like yesterday’s Teacher Appreciation Day, I typically fear that I will be spending several rather dull hours. However, the event yesterday was excellent. I found Betsy Wong’s talk on Saudi learners in American IEPs to be very interesting and I could have listened to Nigel Caplan talk for at least another hour. More importantly, both talks provided a wealth of ideas for the classroom. I’m looking forward to the next event.” (John Bennett, ACLI instructor)
“The entire day was an enormous success! Tonia’s ‘Difference vs. Disability’ talk and handouts made me look at the question I often ask myself about a student from a totally different perspective. Nigel’s presentation was outstanding, thought provoking, informative, educational and…..entertaining. An accomplished speaker and a thoughtful man.” (Kathy Ferguson, ACLI instructor)
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Nigel Caplan is an assistant professor of English as Second Language (ESL) at the University of Delaware English Language Institute, and he has also taught at Michigan State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia University, and the Wust Summer School in Germany.
Nigel is also an ESL materials writer. His publications include Grammar Choices for Graduate and Professional Writers (Michigan, 2012), Inside Writing 2 and 4 (Oxford, 2014), and the advanced reading/writing book in Oxford University Press’s Q: Skills for Success series (2011, 2015). He has also published professional chapters and articles, mainly on the topic of teaching academic writing to graduate and undergraduate ESL students, and he regularly presents at conferences and professional development workshops. Nigel’s blog: nigelteacher.wordpress.com.
NOVA’s American Culture and Language Institute (ACLI) teaches ESL to students from all over the world. Part of NOVA’s Workforce Development Division, ACLI offers classes at most NOVA campuses and centers and at some workplaces in Northern Virginia.
ACLI offers several language programs for beginning to advanced-level learners. Many of the Intensive English Program (IEP) students have F-1 student visas. Core Skills ESL offers part-time ESL classes for immigrants or students who are in the U.S. temporarily. ACLI Specialty ESL Courses such as ESL for Employment, TOEFL Preparation, and Culture and Conversation are popular with local residents, workers, and students. ACLI also provides customized ESL classes for the workplace through Contract Training programs.
We hear a lot about the high demand for workers to fill STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) careers. What’s less clear is what actual jobs are available, and how you, as a career changer, can leverage your experience to enter these fields.
Consider the realities of today’s job market:
STEM Advantages
Potential Hurdles
No matter what you studied in school or your work background, employers will value your critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. The trick is to demonstrate that you have these key skills through your cover letter, résumé and interview.
If you don’t like the STEM majors, you won’t be happy pursuing a STEM career. Students who are not happy are far more likely to switch majors, losing time and money, or to drop out altogether.
Edythe Richards is a Career Counselor who specializes in working with mid-career adults in transition.
The answer is “it depends.” Different industries have different requirements. But we need to step back and look at how the definition of higher learning—traditionally via a four-year degree program—has evolved, for both individuals and employers.
For many individuals, the traditional four-year degree program simply doesn’t fit their needs:
An associate degree for two years of study or a certificate of specialized training can … yield middle-class earnings. In fact, salary statistics indicate that workers with these short-term-education credentials can make as much as—or even out-earn—those with a traditional four-year degree. (“A Bachelor’s Degree isn’t the Only Path to Good Pay,” Wall Street Journal)
Degrees are still alive and well, but associate degrees awarded have grown 38% between 2008 and 2013 (the last year for which data is available), while bachelor’s degrees only grew 18%. More telling, however, is the 40% increase in this same period of career-focused certificates.
Formal degree programs, while still an essential tool for higher learning, may not be the answer for everyone. Especially those seeking a career in high-tech industries, where hard skills and market-ready experience is required for entry-level careers.
Consider technology leaders Steve Jobs (Apple), Bill Gates (Microsoft), and Larry Ellison (Oracle): each adjusted their learning experiences, opting out of a formal degree program. Consider the current needs of Millennials, who intuitively approach higher education as a collaborative, non-linear experience, often facing frustration with the traditional model of focused curricula.
Education is undergoing a shift, responding to the needs of people who no longer fit the archetype of a traditional student, and to the needs of companies who require employees to be well-versed in soft skills such as collaboration and problem-solving in addition to the fundamentals of a good education.
In her insightful FastCompany.com article “This is the Future of College,” Jessica Hullinger ponders higher education and value of a college degree:
Experts say that within the next 10 to 15 years, the college experience will become rapidly unbundled.
Hullinger goes on to explain that many programs are shifting to “skills, not semesters.” Employers are seeking job candidates with real-world skills and the ability to solve problems and work in teams. Schools are shifting their focus to competencies that translate to a ready-to-work skill set that can move an individual seamlessly from classroom to office.
For those who have already started a career, or for companies who need to provide training to already-established employees, the learning process becomes even more personalized. A software programmer, for instance, may need to gain skills in Cyber Security or network essentials. Project managers may need new certifications for job advancement. Mid-level staff may need to develop skills to advance into new leadership positions. Whether training is required for an individual staff member or as a company-wide initiative, the approach is going to need to meet schedule and staff needs.
Corporate spending on leadership development is high, especially as Millennials take on more responsibilities and leadership positions. According to a Forbes.com article, high-performing companies (those who fall into Forbes’ “high-impact” categories) spend significantly more on training than average.
Sending individual staff to attend open-enrollment classes can satisfy the need for basic skills development, such as Introduction to Word, or PMP/CAPM Exam Preparation. However, a customized training program is more effective for targeted staff development and improving overall knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) for a group of employees.
While basic, concrete skills will change with advancements in technology and shifts in the marketplace, soft skills such as communication, emotional intelligence, and team building are essential to create leaders who are able to turn multi-generational workers with different communication styles and work approaches into effective, highly productive teams.
Rounding out hard and soft skills in areas outside of employees’ job descriptions brings untold benefits to the company. The most successful teams consist of members who have skillsets that complement one another and play off of team members’ strengths. When employers invest in training in hard and soft skills, it helps employees feel valued as they work toward career development goals. (read full article in BusinessNewsDaily.com’s blog post)
With customized training, companies can bring together both core competencies and soft skills to develop a targeted training program that is more relevant to organizational needs. Customized training also allows companies to develop employees at a specific pace and at their skill level, which results in more effective learning and faster employee development.
Other benefits of customized training include greater control over content, a smaller overall cost in the long term, the ability to manage timing and schedule, and creating a tighter organizational culture as employees learn together as a team.
If you feel that customized training might be a solution for your company, please contact NOVA Workforce Development Division’s Corporate Performance Solutions team. We have developed customized training programs for federal, state, and local government organizations as well as large and mid-level corporations. We have industry knowledge paired with well-established instructors who can help you develop a training program that meets your specific needs.
We are embracing the future of education through open-enrollment courses, industry certification programs, and customized corporate training. Call us at 703-323-3281 to speak to one of our training program developers, or email us at NOVA_CustomizedTraining@nvcc.edu.
