Harper College Hosts Motorola CEO, AACC President
Reported by Greg Dowell
In my role as a board member of Harper College, I attended a reception, dinner, and panel discussion on February 9, 2012. Harper College did an amazing job of hosting the event and engaging the audience. The main event of the evening was clearly the panel discussion. The audience, which comprised the boards of Harper College and the Educational Foundation, as well as members of Harper’s administration, was treated to a panel discussion featuring Greg Brown, CEO of Motorola Solutions, Dr. Walter Bumphus, President of the Association of American Community Colleges, and Dr. Ken Ender, President of Harper College.
The focus of the discussion was the shortage of skilled workers in America. An amazing statistic, with which my business-owner clients are all too familiar, is that while 9% unemployment persists in the Chicago area and in our nation (and economists believe that rate is woefully understated), some 100,000 jobs are unfilled in our Chicago region alone, solely because businesses can not find workers with the necessary skill sets. This is largely attributed to a lack of applicants with what are called “middle skill sets”, which is a level of training, education, or certification that lies between a high school graduate and a college graduate. Because of its positioning and ability to respond quickly, community colleges are in an opportune position to provide these middle skill sets.
Brown and Bumphus both advocated for a grass roots approach to the problem, which must start at the individual level and with families; however, both believe that it is incumbent on businesses and higher education to do everything possible to provide opportunity, and it is also important for businesses and higher education to collaborate and work in authentic partnership. Some of the examples discussed include the need for businesses and higher ed to collaborate on providing mentoring, internships, and input on curriculum. Dr. Ender reported that Harper has been a leader in developing the Northern Illinois Workforce Coalition, which is a partnership of 50 manufacturers and over a dozen community colleges that focus on providing a paid internship for students who complete a 15-hour certificate program.
Ender and Brown also discussed Motorola’s involvement last year in kicking off Harper’s Choice Scholars Summer Institute program. The Choice Scholars program targets incoming college freshmen who test just below the level of college readiness, providing them with a four-week development program. Studies show that students who participate in a program to shore up their academics have a much greater probability of future success. Professionals from Motorola participate in the program by sharing their work experiences with the students, making the connections between classroom subjects and business experiences come alive for the students.
Interestingly, Brown and Bumphus both commented on the erosion that they have witnessed of basic social skills, such as the ability to communicate one-on-one. Both men commented on the erosion in what Brown termed “baseline of employability skills”, which he said included such things as punctuality and basic communication skills. While acknowledging that social media and texting has its place in society, a memorable quote from Brown was that “you can’t text your way through an interview.”
It was uplifting to see that the issues are being dealt with in a head-on fashion by leaders at a high level in our business and educational communities. My personal opinion is that while the initiative must start with individuals and families, we need businesses and education to communicate and coordinate in an organized manner in a real-time fashion, so that our educational system can be prepared with relevant programming and able to receive and accommodate students who may be either traditional high school graduates, experienced workers looking to enhance skills, or individuals looking to qualify for a new profession.
Actions speak louder than words, and the proof will be in our ability as a society to develop highly efficient and structured partnerships that institutionalize the connections that are necessary between businesses and education. That partnership must include businesses of all sizes and from diverse industries. I further believe that each of us in the business community have contributions we can make - whether it is serving as a mentor, providing an internship, or volunteering our time. What is at stake, in my opinion, is no less than the future ability of our country to compete on a global basis.
