Education, business leaders agree on need for training

A group of Billings business and education leaders is working to see to it that the region has plenty of qualified workers in the area of systems diagnostics, repair and maintenance.

Gazette Staff

The Greater Yellowstone Business and Education Council wants to make sure local workers meet current high-tech employer standards. John Cech, dean of the Montana State University-Billings College of Technology, said the idea is to get education and business leaders working together toward that end.

Earlier this month council members met with Charles Fred, a Montana native who works with companies to boost customer service. He has recently published a book titled "Breakaway: Deliver Value to Your Customers Fast."

The council came up with several goals for the next year, Cech said, but the key is filling the needs of the entire city, not just individual entities. Some of the needs may be long-term, but others may be more immediate.

"What we want to identify is how can we, as a community, work together to respond to the existing training needs," Cech said.

The council formed about a year ago as an offshoot of the Celebrate Billings effort. The council’s steering committee has identified several educational issues confronting Billings. Among them are a lack of two-year and certificate workforce-training opportunities in the greater Billings area for health care, business and industry and a critical need for the community to be able to quickly respond to training needs of existing businesses and potential new businesses.

The council also monitors and evaluates educational trends and makes recommendations on how to react to those trends.

One trend, Cech said, involves the need for workers with specific technological training or experience. Fewer needs in the current job market involve four-year degrees, he said.

"Education is the one key to retaining existing businesses and the key to recruiting new ones," he said.

Some efforts already are under way.

A two-year associate degree to train surgical technicians is among the new programs offered this year at the College of Technology. Students in the program learn to work in operating rooms as technicians who scrub patients, provide instruments and support physicians and nurses.

The program is a collaboration between colleges of technology at MSU-B and University of Montana and Deaconess and St. Vincent hospitals. Local students take all classes and training in Billings.

The surgical-tech degree is among a handful of new programs this year. Others include:

– A two-year associate degree and a one-year certificate in human resources.

– A two-year computer desktop/network support associate degree.

– A two-year medical assistant associate degree.

Another area of focus for the council is making sure existing workers are adequately trained.

"I think that incumbent worker training is higher on the radar screen than hiring new workers," said Tom Frisby, manager of the Billings Job Service Work Force Center.

Frisby said many business owners he deals with are more concerned about bringing staffs up to speed on technology and customer service than about bolstering their workforce. He also said those kinds of issues are not unique to certain occupations, but training programs can be developed to help meet needs across the community.

He said other states may have models that Billings can use.

After meeting with Fred, 40 education and business leaders developed goals for the next year to address the community’s needs. Some of those goals include:

– Finding out where the educational/business gaps exist in relation to luring potential employers. The council wants to find out if Billings lost out because of that gap.

– Producing an education sales package for greater Billings area.

– Renewed emphasis on customer service in both education and business.

– Getting more businesses involved to identify training needs for better skilled work force.

– Develop more partnerships between the business and education communities.

To get involved or find out more about the Greater Yellowstone Business and Education Council, call Cech at 670-0848 or e-mail him at jcech@ cot.msubillings.edu.

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