Implementing impactful workforce development initiatives in a constantly evolving landscape can be both difficult and costly. Sheila Blair, Director of the Align Center for Workforce Development, and, De’Angelo consultant Boone discuss comprehensive solutions to create a more effective workforce.
This conversation originally aired on 103.9 WLEN on Monday, November 20, 2023
Sheila: Welcome listeners, we are Align Center for Workforce Development, and for the next few minutes we’re going to empower, equip, and elevate.
I’m Sheila Blair, the director of the Alliance Center, and today I’m here with De’Angelo Boone, a consultant working with us for a little over a year now, in a variety of capacities because he’s so multi-talented. Thanks for joining me, De’Angelo. It is a pleasure to be here. De’Angelo, I’m really excited to be able to tell the listeners about the adult training options that Align has for them. And one of those is our own learning management system, which you’ve been a part of since our launch last year.
De’Angelo: The learning management system is a very inexpensive tool for people to learn more about a wide variety of topics. In fact, we have 15 different categories of training in over 150 courses. It’s all online and accessible 24 hours a day. And once you pass the course, you can print your own certificate of completion.
Well, that sounds like a great option for individuals to upskill themselves, but what if a company wanted to have their employees take the training through the LMS? We can do that too.
We’ve been working with companies to get them set up on the system and they can access courses and deadlines to their employees. They can also monitor the progress and export training data.
Sheila: Our listeners might also like to know that we can create for them custom courses that can be added to the LMS that only their employees can take.
We have curriculum and design experts on staff to develop engaging live and online training proprietary to any organization that chooses to use us.
De’Angelo: You just mentioned live training, Sheila. Can you talk more about that?
Sheila: Sure, and I know this is hard to believe, but regardless of what training an employer needs, we can find the training provider.
Company leaders shouldn’t have to waste their time researching what training is out there for employees. Instead, we want to be their central contact for training and consulting. They tell us what they need, and we find the options from which they can then choose what’s best for them. And
De’Angelo: where can employers expect training to be held?
Sheila: there’s a variety of options for that as well. So some employers prefer training is done at their location. Some prefer it to be done off-site, like at the new Align Center for Workforce Development that will be opening after the first of the year. And some training can be done virtually or in a hybrid fashion.
De’Angelo: It’s all very flexible. What kind of training does this include?
Sheila: If it can be done, we can find it. , we can do everything from onboarding to customer service, software training, leadership, machine maintenance, board development, lean, Six Sigma, and so much more. The catalog on our website, for example, has over 3,000 training and certifications listed, which is not exhaustive by any means.
De’Angelo: Sheila, how are consulting services different than training services?
Sheila: Well, there are actually more similarities than differences. We can provide consultants of any type to help companies. They should think of us as an extra pair of hands. A lot of companies are shorthanded right now and they rely solely on their already stretched thin internal talent pool.
But what if there’s an expert out there who can have a huge impact on their bottom line? A company’s only limitation is not calling us.
De’Angelo: So how does a company reach out to get help with training and consulting?
Sheila: Well they can contact me directly at Sheila@AlignLenawee.org.
I would love to sit down with them and find out about their pain points, and make some recommendations about the next steps, and we can take it from there. And this is what we do.
Align’s role in this county is to develop a talent pipeline and provide wraparound support to help keep organizations sustainable and successful.
That’s a really tall order. Yeah, you’re right, but we rely on experts from around the country to serve the companies in Lenawee County so that they get the support of a whole nation of experts.
De’Angelo: Sheila, I knew the Alliance Center for Workforce Development Network was deep, but I had no idea it was nationwide.
Sheila: Absolutely. We can’t limit ourselves to our own geographic location. We pride ourselves on bringing in the best-in-class services wherever they come from. Lenawee County deserves the best. I couldn’t agree more. Well, listeners, we are running out of time. So don’t forget we are Align Center for Workforce Development.
We empower, equip, and elevate.
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