BENTONVILLE -- Northwest Arkansas Community College has resurrected and updated a noncredit course providing "soft skills" training for workers.
"Excelling in the Workplace" is an open-enrollment course teaching business etiquette and how to work well with others. Those skills include even the simplest things such as how to greet someone in a friendly and professional manner.
At A Glance
College Meetings
The NorthWest Arkansas Community College board approved its slate of 2015 meeting dates Monday. There are nine meetings scheduled between February and November. The board’s next meeting will be Feb. 16. Also on Monday, three board members re-elected in November were sworn in for their new terms: Scott Grigsby in District 1, Ric Clifford in District 6 and Mauricio Herrera in District 8.
Source: Staff Report
Tim Cornelius, vice president of learning, discussed the course at Monday's Board of Trustees meeting.
"It's those skills your momma should have taught you," Cornelius said. "It's about how to interact in today's business world."
Northwest Arkansas businesses have told college officials those soft skills are hard to come by in today's workforce.
"It's those skills we all think people know, and they really don't. There's a big need for this program," Cornelius said.
The course had been shelved for a few years before being re-introduced this month, Cornelius said. The decision to bring it back was prompted by feedback the college received last year from the business community.
Cornelius also discussed the college's certified retail analyst program, which is marking its 15-year anniversary. A special event will be held Thursday at the college to celebrate that milestone.
The program was created to meet a need for talent in the supplier community to support Wal-Mart. It has had more than 600 graduates since its inception, according to the college.
"It's very dynamic. It will always be dynamic," Cornelius said about the program. "Our curriculum is going to reflect exactly what Wal-Mart needs."
In other business, the college board approved waiving admission application fees for some potential students.
People with limited financial resources who meet one or more requirements of economic need may qualify for an application fee waiver, according to the policy.
The admission application fee is $10 for new applicants and $5 for returning students -- those who have spent a semester or longer away from the school.
The fee waiver has been available at the college for years. Scott Grigsby, a board member and chairman of the Finance Committee, said the committee thought a policy should be created for it.
The financial impact of the waiver to the college is "minimal," said Debi Buckley, chief financial officer. The college gives up about $400 per year through application fee waivers, she said.
In order to qualify for the waiver, a person must meet at least one of five indicators, such as being eligible for the federal free lunch program or having a family income that qualifies for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
Students also may receive an application fee waiver by participating in official college events that offer the waiver as an incentive to attend, according to the policy.
NW News on 01/13/2015