Exploring Digital & Global Education
	Discovering Work and Learning Strategies for the New Millennium

The Participants:

• Craig Brethauer, Regional Director, Human Resources, BayCare Health System
• Betsy Gylfe, Director of Human Resources, Nielsen Media Research
• William G. "Bill" Kelley, Vice President, Human Resources, Florida Power Corporation
• Russ Sloan, President and CEO, St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce

The Questions:

• Describe your industry/profession as you think it will be in the year 2010. Discuss trends, changes from the current situation, plans, and even hopes.
• Given the above, describe your vision of how your organization could work with SPJC in order to help develop/prepare employees for the year 2010.

Speaker 1: Craig Brethauer, BayCare

• Workers need to be adaptable to change
• Workforce is more consolidated, leaner; workers will need to be more versatile
• Current graduates still require more training: companies have set up own programs, need more cooperation between school and business on training requirements.
• Workers must constantly redefine their position, retrain. Retraining will be the norm.
• Employers are willing to offer/redefine benefits to keep good, well-rounded employees, i.e., day care, elder care.
• Businesses are becoming more competitive and more customer driven.
• Companies are paying for competencies, not tenure. People will be paid for what they bring to the job.
• Team members are very important, as is problem solving.
• Dress code must be brought to students' attention.
  

Speaker 2: Betsy Gylfe, Nielsen Media Research

• Industry is constantly changing - technology generates constant change, competition generates constant change, customer need generates constant change - adaptability to change is a requirement
• Employees will need: Independent thinking skills; critical thinking skills; creative thinking skills, accountability; basics in reading, writing and math.
• Interpersonal skills: Teamwork will be a theme in the workplace; the worker must be flexible and able to work with and get along with others.
• Cooperation between business and college to address employer-needs-based employee profiles now being developed.

Speaker 3: Bill Kelley, Florida Power Corp

• Change: In our industry de-regulation is coming. A simple business is about to become very complex, and no one is sure of all the implications.
• New ideas are needed - problem solving skills are a must.
• At one time people joined a company and stayed for life - that will not be a norm in the future. People change jobs 7 times and careers 3 times in their working lives.
• Critical thinking skills, creative thinking skills, problem solving skills will all be needed by the employee.
• Business savvy - understanding of how business actually works - is a must.
• People will need to understand how to handle their own careers; this will no longer be the company's responsibility.
• The only edge a company has in today's market is its people.
• Good verbal and technical skills are givens
• Customer service must take on a higher priority.
• Educators need to understand what jobs are available and what they are about. For example, a lineman for Florida Power makes $46K/year without overtime or wearing a tie. There are other high paying jobs going unfilled, e.g., toolmaker, because they are not understood.
• College instructors need to talk with business people at their worksites. They also need to spend time "working" in the field whenever possible.
  
  

Speaker 4: Russ Sloan, St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce

• Yesterday's hits don't win today's or tomorrow's games - must be flexible and willing to learn.
• Employees and businesses have to work smarter.
• Workers have to be more adaptable in today's workplace, more confident, more resilient.
• Computers are wonderful, but the basics must be there too. Machines are not a substitute for independent thinking.
• Concern of business used to be job creation; now it is finding well-rounded workers to fill the jobs.
• Certificate programs are wonderful. College needs to filter the idea down to high school and augment in community college.
• More internships are needed for students to learn about careers; college and businesses need to work together to develop these.

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