When the Employer U program officially began in 2015 its members quickly realized that the project would need its own space. This past summer, in the former child-care center on campus, a new room was created for Employer U to use to offer classes pertaining to professional development.
With the help of the Maine Community Foundation and MMG Insurance, the space has been renovated to be a highly connective learning tool with which to “provide professional development for employees in our area businesses,” according to Deborah Roark, the executive director for university advancement.
The MMG Center for Professional Development is a self-contained classroom that is able to connect with other linked-in centers all around the globe. Using Polycom technology the center is able to host a variety of classes.
In the spring semester a risk management course will be offered from the University of Southern Maine. Thanks to Employer U, participants will not have to travel the length of the state to take part in the class. The new technology allows participants to raise their hands and take part in the class without having to physically be in the room with the teacher.
The Risk Management class is not, however, the center’s debut. After a ribbon cutting ceremony on September 12, and a small window of troubleshooting, the space is set to open the week of October 10. It will begin offering three different classes offered by the American Management Association (AMA). While Employer U manages the space and lines up the courses, local business managers primarily decide the content they cover. If for instance employers decide they’d like their employees to continue developing their customer service skills, the center can line up a course to cover that area, as they’ve done with this fall’s course: “Delivering Knock Your Socks Off Service”.
Eligibility for enrollment varies course to course, though the three AMA classes in the fall will be open to the public. Each of those classes is a six-week course for $300, a cost which covers instruction, books and any other needed materials. Employer U tries to make the fees as affordable as possible, Kim Jones, the program’s director, explained.
The Center’s technological prowess was made possible through a $50,000 contribution from MMG Insurance and a $10,000 contribution from Maine Community Foundation. Thanks to them and the people working with Employer U UMPI is poised to become what Kim Jones called the “northern Maine hub of professional development”. Having to only drive down Main Street to be in a class is a great benefit to employers and employees alike.
