The Training Collaborative, originally comprised of representatives from five TBC member institutions, formed the foundation of our current Professional Development Series. These programs are committed to providing employees in higher education with the training they need to succeed in their work environments while affording opportunities to network with colleagues from other area institutions. Working together, Consortium members design unique, comprehensive programs to address mutual needs within the member schools while taking advantage of cost-sharing initiatives.
Please check the course calendar for program dates and registration.
Successful Management: What Every Supervisor Wants to Know
This program requires pre-authorization from your HR department. Contact your HR department or the member of The Training Collaborative from your institution to register.
This three-day, interactive training program was created for supervisors and
managers who want to further develop their skills in their management role. It
was designed for new supervisors and for those who have been supervising for up
to six years to expand their understanding of how to be an effective supervisor
and manager. The program takes place on successive Fridays over the span of
three weeks.
The workshop style is upbeat and interactive, and the
design incorporates participants' various learning styles through pair and small
group conversation, full group discussions, role-plays, and other exercises.
Participants will be provided the DISC, a communications tool that supports
understanding about different communications styles and preferences.
Participants will consider the questions: How can I enhance my
supervisory skills? What are my communications preferences, and how can I become
more flexible in order to work even more collaboratively and manage more
effectively? What are some of my management challenges, and what are some ways I
can respond to them? How can I provide my best work and fully contribute to my
organization?
Participants will:
- Discuss the values that provide a foundation for management excellence.
- Explore essential management competencies, including:
- Performance development including giving effective feedback
- Communication skills including active listening and assertive communication
- Practical meeting management skills including agenda and objectives development
- Discuss their organization's culture and norms and network with colleagues from different schools.
- Develop an on-going individual development plan that supports productivity and effectiveness.
This program requires pre-authorization from your HR department. Contact your HR department or the member of The Training Collaborative from your institution to register.
The four-part series is full of great techniques to help those who want to become more effective in the advancement of school and department business objectives. The program encompasses the critical components required to insure a rewarding and successful workplace experience for college and university administrators, including communication skills (both written and oral), managing time and data, and creating win-win situations. All this and more will be discussed in this dynamic series.
Upon successful completion of the Administrative Assistant Development Program, participants will receive a certificate from their HR department. Contact your HR department to see if your school if participating in the certificate program and if there are additional school-specific requirements for certification.
The four courses are:
- Developing Proven Techniques for Effective Communication
- Developing Outstanding Customer Service
- Developing Professional Writing Skills
- Developing Effective Management of Paper and Electronic Files
MIT has kindly offered to open its Organization and Employee Development performance training to members of The Boston Consortium. MIT courses are offered during three semesters throughout the year (fall, spring, summer). The length of courses varies from two-hour to multiple-day sessions. The courses focus on the areas of:
- collaboration
- leadership
- communication
- critical thinking/problem solving
- financial management and reporting
- individual development
Most of OED’s courses are offered at MIT’s Professional Learning Center on 301 Vassar Street, Building W89, a full-service training facility. Lunch is not included with the course fee.
Note for MIT employees only: MIT offers professional development courses to MIT employees at no charge. If you are an MIT employee and wish to enroll in an upcoming MIT course, please register through the MIT Training web site at http://web.mit.edu/personnel/www/training/.
THE BOSTON CONSORTIUM FOR HIGHER EDUCATION
IT TRAINING
The Learning Exchange
Members of the IT Training Group (ITTG) are pleased to offer “extra” seats (seats without a registered participant one week before the class) available at low cost to their Consortium colleagues. This program helps fill seats in both office productivity courses and high-end technical courses, such as Microsoft certification and Linux system administration courses. If you are interested in participating in this program, please send an e-mail with complete contact information to info@boston-consortium.org.
Element K
ITTG members selected Element K as their preferred Web-based training vendor. Element K supplements existing Information Services instructor-led training at the schools and provides a wealth of training opportunities to help employees develop their computing skills and become confident, self-sufficient computer users. Element K’s features include: a self-assessment tool, specialized ‘just in time, just for me’ training, 24/7 access, and technical support. On-line, web-based training allows you to take a course at your own pace from any computer that can use a web browser.
Element K offers more than 800 courses on-line in three areas: personal computing, computing professional, and business management skills. Course availability varies from school to school and changes as new software becomes available. To start using Element K, contact your school’s IT Training department.
IT HELP – The IT Higher Education Learning Partnership
ITTG members used their collective purchasing power to construct advantageous relationships with several local training vendors creating a new initiative called the IT Higher Education Learning Partnership (IT HELP). These vendors offer appropriate, high-quality training, provided on-site at any of the Consortium schools’ campuses, and at convenient vendor classroom sites. ITTG chose vendors through a competitive selection process. Through the program, two top vendors offer deep discounts for courses Consortium school personnel take at their sites, for courses the vendors teach on ITTG campuses, and even more deeply discounted prices for spaces in the vendors’ public courses that are not filled two weeks prior to the class. These courses are called “fire sale” courses. In addition, the ITTG has named three additional recommended vendors, who also offer educational discounts to our schools and help us fill niche training needs across the schools. These preferred vendors are listed on the Consortium web site at www.boston-consortium.org.