NICC Solutions: Spring/Summer 2022

SPRING 2022

SOLUTIONS Building Culture with a Purpose pg. 4 Creating a Culture of Customer Service pg. 8

INFO-CIRCLE www.nicc.edu/solutions

SCHAEFER INSTRUCTOR

Spotlight LISA SCHAEFER, SHINE WITH SCHAEFER Graduation-cap

Lisa’s goal is to help you have fun while you learn why we do the things we do. Her biggest passion is asking questions to learn as much as she can from others. This makes Lisa the perfect host for our new podcast!

EDUC ATION / CERTIFIC ATION Masters Degree in Counseling Certified Counselor John Maxwell Leadership Coach

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ALSO TEACHING:

WORK BACKGROUND

Brain Health

More than 20 years of experience in education & sales

Leadership

NICC Business and Community Solutions Instructor

Leadership Academy | Tier 2

Counselor

Manufacturing Leadership Series: Develop the Leader Within You

Corporate Training

Mental Health First Aid

Executive Coaching

MicroSolutions | Learn to Lead Certificate Virtual Hybrid Executive Coaching

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

Webinar | Transitioning from From Peer to Supervisor

Employee Engagement Organizational Psychology Service Success Strategies

"Lisa is very positive and uplifting. She elevates the room the second she starts talking.

CONTACT AMY TO LEARN MORE:

ANDREA WEEDE

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Wilder Business Center 1625 Hwy. 150 S. P.O. Box 400 Calmar, IA 52132 Town Clock Business Center 680 Main St., Ste. 100 Dubuque, IA 52001

SOLUTIONS MAGAZINE • SPRING / SUMMER 2022

CENTER LOCATIONS

MAIN LOCATIONS

User Amy Green Envelope greena@nicc.edu phone 844.642.2338, ext. 3130

Cresco Center 1020 Second Ave. S.E. Cresco, IA 52136 844.642.2338, ext. 4700

Iowa’s Dairy Center 1527 Hwy. 150 S. Calmar, IA 52132 563.534.9957

Dubuque Center 700 Main St. Dubuque, IA 52001 844.642.2338, ext. 3100

Manchester Center 1200 ½ W. Main St. Manchester, IA 52057 844.642.2338, ext. 7700

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Letter from the Vice President

Contents Stay Competitive with Skills Training.......... 2 Thriving in Times of Change ....................... 3 Building a Team Culture Amidst Workplace Change ...................................... 4 Building Culture with Purpose .................... 5 Henderson Products Teams up with NICC .................................... 6 Creating Better Communication through Customized Training ..................... 7 Creating a Culture of Customer Service ........8

As organizations transition into a new norm of operations, it is important to focus on uniting employees wherever they work - in the office, from home or a combination of the two. Creating a strong culture to support the workforce is key.

In this issue, you’ll find features to inspire and resources to guide your organization to create a strong, healthy workplace culture to keep employees engaged. You’ll discover how to create a complaint-free workplace, why soft skills are the key to strengthening your workforce and learn from the successes our business partners have experienced.

At Northeast Iowa Community College, we’ve embraced a culture centered on customer service. The Business and Community Solutions division recently received the LERN International Award for Excellence in Management Practice for our “It’s the Little Things…Be Amazing” customer service project.

This robust customer service model, which included assessment and training a staff of approximately 100, was implemented with a goal of increasing customer service by 1 percent every day. As a result, class evaluation quality scores rose from 4.5 to 4.75 and 51 percent of customers returned for additional classes.

Soft Skills: The Missing Link in Work Culture ..........................................10

We can help you improve workplace culture and other organizational challenges with customized training solutions. Our expert staff will work with you to evaluate your needs and create a customized plan to achieve your unique organizational goals. Seed Savers in Decorah used customized training to improve communication with staff while Henderson Products worked with the College to create custom welding training to upskill employees to meet their production needs.

Out of the Office: Coaching in the Community ..................... 12

We look forward to serving you and your business in the future.

To learn more, view our course catalog at www.nicc.edu/solutions or call 844.642.2338, ext. 1399.

Create a Complaint-Free Culture at Work ............................................9

Out of the Office: Wellness through Movement ....................13 Learning + Fun = NICC Camps ................. 14

Wendy Mihm-Herold, Ph.D. Vice President, Business and Community Solutions

New Hampton 710 W. Main St. New Hampton, IA 50659 844.642.2338, ext. 7104

National Education Center for Agricultural Safety (NECAS) 8342 NICC Drive Peosta, IA 52068 888.844.6322

Waukon Center 1220 Third Ave. N.W., Ste. 102, Waukon, IA 52172 844.642.2338, ext. 6100

RAMS/Oelwein Center 1400 Technology Drive Oelwein, IA 50662 844.642.2338, ext. 6700

Small Business Development Center (SBDC) 900 Jackson St, Suite 110 Dubuque, IA 52001 563.588.3350

For more information about a specific center, visit www.nicc.edu/centers INFO-CIRCLE www.nicc.edu/solutions / phone 844.642.2338, ext. 1399

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Stay Competitive with Skills Training.

As a business leader and decision maker, you can stay competitive and improve your bottom line by investing in training for new and current employees. Developing the skills of employees will enhance productivity, increase efficiency and create opportunities to gain new customers.

Funding from the state of Iowa could help offset training costs for your company. One state-funded agreement, the 260E Iowa Industrial New Jobs Training program, can reduce training costs for businesses seeking to upskill their workforce. The 260E program allows Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) and its business partners to enhance the region’s workforce through employee upskilling and education.

Aveka Nutra Processing, of Waukon, is one of many companies who partnered with the College on 260E agreements. Aveka applied the state funding toward training for quality and food safety, various maintenance functions and subjects, technical courses for the engineering team and production personnel, as well as leadership, team building and project management courses.

“In my experience, formal training through the College can motivate a person to keep learning and improving special skills. Specific topics such as food microbiology or spray drying processing are better learned in a formal setting to gain knowledge in specific areas of our business that cannot always be learned on the job. As manufacturing moves to more automated processes and programming, we will also have more training needs in areas of automation and computer skills,” said Kayce Burris, manager of quality at Aveka Nutra Processing.

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SOLUTIONS MAGAZINE • SPRING / SUMMER 2022

NICC Vice President of Business and Community Solutions, Wendy Mihm-Herold, Ph.D., sees the 260E program as a catalyst for business growth and the health of the local economy.

“The 260E program through the state of Iowa creates training opportunities for local businesses of all sizes. This funding support enhances the skills of new employees in nearly every sector of our northeast Iowa economy.

This critical support allows businesses to grow and thrive,” she said.

Since 1985, Northeast Iowa Community College has secured and invested $102,930,469 in the 260E Iowa Industrial New Jobs Training program, funding 338 different projects and creating 17,498 jobs. From 2020-2021, the College invested $4,685,000 in Iowa Industrial New Jobs Training Certificates, creating 379 jobs.

Thriving in Times of Change.

Enrollment in the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) program at NICC was stagnant in the region when COVID-19 arrived in Iowa in 2020. Understanding the obstacles COVID-19 created for face-to-face learning and hands-on training prompted instructor Jesse Coulson and his team to look for alternative instructional modes to reach students and help them succeed. In the past year, EMT program enrollment spiked in response to the new ways of bringing education to students and meeting students where they are.

Q: In what ways did changing how, when and where students learn impact the growth of the EMT program?

A: Traditionally we only offered our programs on campus, Peosta or Calmar. Even before COVID-19 hit we struggled to get the minimum number of students to sign up for a class in Calmar, and we also started to see a decline in our enrollment in Peosta.

I started to ask departments what we could do to impact these numbers. The solution?

Make attending classes more convenient for students. We started to run programs with live lectures via Zoom.

Q: What are the direct, measurable results after making these changes?

A: We found success in two different ways. First, the HyFlex model and its integrated face-to-face and online approach was working! We were seeing 90 percent plus pass rates on the first attempt at state tests. Second, we realized with this format we could reach a larger area in our district. The northern part of the district is very rural and it is hard to send some of your responders a distance to attend a class. We are now offering a district-wide HyFlex course. The majority of the class is lecture, so the students can learn at home or in their stations as a small group with a live instructor. We then coordinate lab sessions based on our enrollment demographics.

JESSE COULSON EMERGENCY SERVICES PROGRAM DEVELOPER

Q: What barriers to program completion for students were mitigated?

A: In a word, “access.” We removed barriers to access because of the environment everyone faced and are now able to serve students in many rural areas of northeast Iowa.

Q: How does the promise of more EMT-certified employees being available for hire affect the overall community’s health and safety?

A: Nationally as a profession, the hiring pool has been depleted and existing providers are exhausted! Being creative, and working together, we are finding ways to grow our recruitment pool and get more EMTs on the street. This naturally improves the health and safety of communities.

Learn more about our EMT training, visit www.nicc.edu/emt.

Scan the code to view the EMS simulator action! 3 INFO-CIRCLE www.nicc.edu/solutions / phone 844.642.2338, ext.in1399

Building Team Culture Amidst Workplace Change For the last few years, you may have heard buzzwords like workplace culture, flexibility and work-life balance. Northeast Iowa Community College Business and Community Solutions is here with customized training to help local businesses prepare for these workplace shifts.

WORKPL ACE TRENDS

THE NE W WORKPL ACE SCHEDULE

Dan Schawbel has produced a list of workplace trends for the past nine years. Here are his 2022 predictions.

COVID-19 has opened the door for conversations about remote work, hybrid scheduling and four-day workweeks. The Hustle recently looked into an initiative by Cali Ressler called Results Only Work Environment (ROWE). ROWE focuses on forgetting about time and place and just emphasizing assignment completion. Ressler began her initiative with Best Buy and saw productivity increase by 41 percent and employee turnover reduced. The University of Minnesota’s Phyllis Moen showed Best Buy workers slept more, were less likely to come to work sick and experienced a reduction in work-family conflicts.*

• Career development and training come into the spotlight.

• Companies allowing employees to choose where and when they work.

• A two-tiered workforce. This could cause a cultural shift, take action now to make employees feel equally treated and needed.

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A fight to attract and retain talent. The meaning of success has changed and employees are now prioritizing work-life balance, brain health and having a meaningful job.

• Benefits will better meet employee needs.

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Organizations and employees will prioritize new skills. It’s estimated that 40 percent of workers will require upskilling by 2025. Skills needed will include digital, emotional intelligence, managing teams and effective communication.

Read the full article: www.linkedin.com/pulse/top-10-workplacetrends-2022-dan-schawbel/

The concept that not one-size fits all is also growing. According to a survey from the staffing agency Robert Half, 41 percent of managers in the U.S. are allowing staff to choose their work hours.** The mindset of working 50-plus hours a week as a power move is going to be a thing of the past.

Never taking PTO, coming in early, staying late, not taking lunch breaks were bragging points to how dedicated you were to your job and how hard of a worker you are. According to SHRM®, Millennials have pushed for policies that create a more employee-centered workplace benefiting people of all ages. Paid parental leave, diversity programs, brain health benefits and corporate responsibility efforts, for example, have expanded as companies fight to attract and retain members of this coveted group.

Morning Brew showed that both Millennials and Gen Z are also seeking a workplace that offers opportunities for career advancement.

NICC has recently offered flexible work scheduling for employees on a trial basis. This option allows some employees the opportunity to work remotely at times and choose their work hours based on business needs.

WORKPL ACE CULTURE Harvard Division of Continuing Education states companies at the top of Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work foster a culture that inspires innovation, dedication and enthusiasm among employees. Workplace culture can include workplace relationships, communication or teamwork, etc.

If you are looking to see how employees view the culture of your organization, try sending out a survey. It is important to not only listen to the feedback provided but act on it as well. Google Forms is a great way to send out a survey and allow employees to respond anonymously. *the hustle.co ** Harvard Business Review

WANT CUSTOMIZED TRAINING FOR YOUR WORKPLACE? Contact Greg to set up training unique to your company.

User Greg Willging Envelope willgingg@nicc.edu phone 844.642.2338, ext. 3128 INFO-CIRCLE

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www.nicc.edu/customized-solutions

SOLUTIONS MAGAZINE • SPRING / SUMMER 2022

READ THE FULL BLOG POST.

"At Northeast Iowa Community College we understand that colleagues who feel deeply engaged with and aligned to our College values of service, respect, stewardship, innovation, integrity and resiliency enhance our ability to collectively provide the best education, training, products and services for the students, businesses and communities we serve. We find purpose in the growth and success of others, and are honored and gratified to be part of their journey."

LIANG CHEE WEE, PH.D NICC President

Building Culture with a Purpose.

“Dr. Wee has shaped how our community partners together to create programs and services. His genuine concern for helping others to improve their lives comes through in his actions, words and commitment. His genuineness motivates others to do more.”

MARLA LOECKE

Operations Manager, Dubuque & Decorah Iowa Workforce Development

Northeast Iowa Community College President Liang Chee Wee, Ph.D., has made a profound impact on the College's organizational culture by fostering collaboration, integrating top-notch customer service and instilling a shared sense of purpose across the institution. Employees within a healthy organizational culture contribute their talents and skills, value and nurture internal and external relationships, and take pride in delivering in-demand products and services.

“Immediately after meeting Dr. Wee the first time, I knew he was an individual that could foster an energy, even a tidal wave of enthusiasm, to ensure our community is thriving and not just limping along surviving. We have all been touched by Dr. Wee's navigation of Northeast Iowa Community College, and his large or small deeds, gestures and actions have ensured the College's prosperous impact on all our hometowns for years to come.”

“Dr. Wee has always made a genuine effort to understand what drives communities.

He takes this understanding and knowledge to develop the College in a similar grassroots effort by making the College a community.

He has provided an environment to develop leaders and community-minded people who want to see the local economy succeed.”

JENNIFER BENTLEY

ISU Extension and Outreach Dairy Field Specialist

COREY MEYER

Winneshiek County Roadside Manager

INFO-CIRCLE www.nicc.edu/solutions / phone 844.642.2338, ext. 1399

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MANCHESTER MANUFACTURER

Henderson Products Teams Up with NICC FOR CUSTOMIZED WELDING TRAINING The best teachers know that a combination of teaching methods – classroom lecture, hands-on training and learning by doing – make a lasting impact on a student’s success.

That’s the winning formula Henderson Products Inc. is using to train new welding employees. Henderson designs and manufactures multi-purpose equipment for heavy-duty work trucks, and enrolls its employees in customized three-week training courses developed with Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) and welding instructor, Seth Harms.

Working closely with Harms on curriculum for the beginning- and intermediate-level courses brings new hires up to speed. The combination of lecture, weld lab training and On-The-Job (OTJ) mentoring prepares

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SOLUTIONS MAGAZINE • SPRING / SUMMER 2022

employees for product manufacturing while ensuring Henderson’s high quality standards, said Tom Kenny, Henderson weld engineer.

“The employees enrolled in this training have been successful as we grow as a company. We approached NICC about the training because we needed welding instruction specific and focused to Henderson’s processes,” Kenny said.

“This training has been great for Henderson. It allows us to develop talent from within and everyone gets the training, attention and experience they need.”

As an instructor, Harms believes that working closely with Henderson on the program’s curriculum is the key to meeting the company’s training needs. NICC hosts the training at the West Delaware High School Weld Lab.

Creating Better Communication through Customized Training.

Growing and distributing 600 varieties of heirloom seeds is both easy and profitable for the staff at Seed Saver in Decorah. Growing their employee’s skills, however, hasn’t been so easy.

CELINA PEERMAN, PH.D. BCS INSTRUCTOR

“We were stuck,” said Seed Saver Deputy Director Lynne Filling.

“Our team of almost 70 employees each have very different skill-sets and our leaders struggled to figure out how to best share information with each of them.”

That’s when Lynne and her team reached out to Northeast Iowa Community College. Celina Peerman, Ph.D., an instructor through the College’s Business and Community Solutions division, stepped in to help correct the company’s personnel issues. She serves as a neutral third party to help solve conflicts and create solutions.

“The struggle for companies that rely only on OTJ is the learning curve for new employees. That is an important part of Henderson’s training approach also, but it works even better when employees can ask questions and learn concepts in class and lab work,” Harms stated.

Harms explained that he is currently teaching courses for individuals who are at about the same level of welding ability. “Henderson Products and I have worked very closely on the teaching content.

It’s important for instructors to meet the needs of local industry,” he said.

THE COLLEGE IS READY TO WORK WITH YOUR COMPANY’S CUSTOMIZED TRAINING NEEDS. INFO-CIRCLE www.nicc.edu/customized-solutions

“Through our conversations Celina determined exactly what we needed to make changes. She’s extremely helpful,” said Lynne.

Lynne says Seed Saver leaders now have a better understanding of what’s appropriate to share with employees and are committed to better communication.

“We still have a lot of work to do, but thanks to Celina being available to us whenever we need her, we are moving in the right direction,” said Lynne.

IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN A CUSTOMIZED SOLUTION FOR YOUR BUSINESS, CONTACT ALISON.

User Alison Holten Envelope holtena@nicc.edu phone 844.642.2338, ext. 4103

INFO-CIRCLE www.nicc.edu/solutions / phone 844.642.2338, ext. 1399

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Shep Hyken, a customer service expert, accurately observed, "The reason an organization can deliver good or bad customer service comes down to one thing; what is happening on the inside of that organization. To sum it up in one word: culture."

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SOLUTIONS MAGAZINE • SPRING / SUMMER 2022

Creating a Culture of Customer Service In the early stages of the pandemic, leadership within the NICC Business and Community Solutions division noticed that remote work was negatively impacting internal communication.

It was evident that processes needed to be reviewed and service standards defined in order to maintain customer relationships and live a culture of service. A secret shopper project was conducted to gather baseline data of customer experiences with front line staff. This data helped guide the direction of the customer service project and define areas for improvement.

The division took inspiration from Shep Hyken to launch the “It’s the Little Things…Be Amazing” initiative to be 1% better each day with the goal of encouraging teamwork, communicating in a positive and professional manner (both internally and externally) and providing a supportive work environment. The team created a Customer Service Agreement that defined service expectations for all employees and included standards for phone usage, email and chat, plus calendars and meeting guidelines.

While implementing this project, the leadership team participated in a training series focused on topics such as customer service, resiliency, change and leadership to ensure everyone understood the goal, could properly role model expectations for staff and live the customer service model daily.

What started in the Business and Community Solutions division has now been implemented across the entire College. It can be duplicated for your business or organization as

“Our amazing team of directors worked hard to implement a robust customer service model including a customer service agreement, assessment and training for approximately 100 staff, with a goal of increasing our customer service by 1% daily to ensure our services are above our competition,” said Wendy Mihm-Herold, Vice President of Business and Community Solutions. To date, the initiative has several positive results.

well. If your business or organization is experiencing challenges with customer service or other operational areas, the College is here to help.

Improved internal communication allowed customers to connect with a live person to quickly and efficiently answer any questions. In addition, staff were able to handle more than 90% of calls without transferring to another department or staff member. More than 210 customers responded to a customer service survey with overall positive comments about our communication, follow-up and patience in allowing time for questions. As a result, class evaluation quality scores rose from 4.5 to 4.75 and the division has an incredible 51% repeat customer rate.

Our experts will partner with you to

The initiative was recognized nationally, winning an international award in lifelong learning for Best Management Practice by the Learning Resources Network (LERN), the largest association in continuing education in the world. “With more than 100 award nominations every year, gaining an international award is an outstanding achievement,” noted William Draves, LERN President.

solutions, have your questions

The initiative is ongoing and the newly formed Quality Assurance Team will be reviewing data and looking for areas of improvement; for instance, adding Google Reviews and social media into customer feedback collection.

create a plan, and guide you through the development and execution of action items to improve performance.

To learn more about customized answered or to contact a sales team member to get started, visit www.nicc.edu/customized-solutions.

Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert and the chief amazement officer of Shepard Presentations.

He is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and has been inducted into the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame for lifetime achievement in the speaking profession. Shep works with companies and organizations that want to build loyal relationships with their customers and employees.

Scan the QR code to find upcoming classes led by Shep and others!

INFO-CIRCLE www.nicc.edu/solutions / phone 844.642.2338, ext. 1399

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Create a Complaint-Free Culture at Work COMPL AINT (NOUN): THE EXPRESSION OF GRIEF, PAIN OR DISSATISFAC TION. Research shows that most people complain once a minute during a typical conversation.

Complaining may feel good, however, it isn’t good for your health or your workplace. A Stanford University study found that engaging in complaining or listening to someone complain for 30 minutes or more can actually damage your brain. Chronic complaining to co-workers can come back to haunt you. It could ruin your reputation, labeling you as a negative person or as “not a team player.” As a result, you may make enemies which will only worsen your work experience and add to the decline of overall workplace culture.

WANT TO CREATE A COMPLAINT-FREE CULTURE AT YOUR WORKPLACE? LEARN MORE ABOUT WILL BOWEN AND REGISTER FOR THE BUSINESS SUMMIT. www.nicc.edu/businesssummit

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SOLUTIONS MAGAZINE • SPRING / SUMMER 2022

Understanding the human connection and the real reason behind complaining can help you improve the culture of your workplace. Using Will Bowen’s G.R.I.P.E. technique gives insight to what lies beneath the complaint and can help you refocus a co-worker’s attention to solving the actual problem. Will Bowen, international bestselling author, world authority on complaining and founder of A Complaint-Free World, is the featured speaker at our 2022 Business Summit events in May and October. His G.R.I.P.E. technique and 21-Day Complaint-Free challenge has been recommended by many influential celebrities and media outlets including Oprah, Maya Angelou, Tim Ferris, Joe Vitale, Gary Zukov, The Wall Street Journal,NBC’s Today Show, the ABC Evening News and NPR. Will travels the world motivating businesses and organizations of every size to understand the causes and embrace the cures of complaining.

Will Bowen’s G.R.I.P.E. Technique The Real Reason

Silence the Complaints

G

GET ATTENTION Connecting with others is a basic human need.

When someone complains to get attention, ask them “What’s going well with (whatever they’re complaining about)”?

R

REMOVE RESPONSIBILITY People complain about the conditions surrounding a task as a way of getting off the hook.

This type of complaint is excuse-making before even attempting to do something. With every complaint about the task, ask “If it were possible, how might you do it?”

I

INSPIRE ENVY People complain about others not liking them in order to seem superior. Or we complain about events as a way of impressing people.

When someone is trying to inspire envy, they want to be complimented and reassured. Compliment them for the opposite of whatever they’re complaining about.

P

POWER People complain to build alliances with others who agree with them to increase their power.

Refuse to get involved in the power struggle and put the problem back in the complainer's hands by saying, “It sounds like you and he (or she) have a lot to talk about.”

You can offer to set up a meeting between the two parties

E

EXCUSE POOR PERFORMANCE (past tense of Remove Responsibility) They have already failed and are complaining to justify what happened.

In this case, the person has already messed up or not done something you’ve asked. Lower their defenses and help open them to opportunities for improvement by asking, “How do you plan to improve next time?”

Source: Excerpts from Will Bowen’s white paper “GRIPE - How to Identify and Stop Complaints”, https://www.willbowen.com

INFO-CIRCLE www.nicc.edu/solutions / phone 844.642.2338, ext. 1399

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Soft Skills:

The Missing Link in Work Culture Northeast Iowa Community College offers many short-term training certificates for in-demand jobs in northeast Iowa. Why consider a Career Pathway Certificate as opposed to just on-the-job training? Career Pathway Certificates include important soft skills training as well as technical and industry skills. Some topics include emotional intelligence, motivation, attitude, accountability, attendance, time management, conflict resolution, dealing with stress and financial literacy.

WHY EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE?

WHY MOTIVATION?

Instructor Kathie Rotz said it best, “Emotional intelligence teaches you how to communicate with others that have different personalities.” Building emotional intelligence will help employees form more effective and impactful relationships at work.

Teaching motivation in our soft skills course will help initiate, guide and maintain goal-oriented behaviors in line with personal and career goals.

WHY AT TITUDE? Each person's attitude is a reflection of three things: how do you see yourself, how do you see the world and how do you see yourself in the world? Employees will be able to effectively navigate the attitudes of others and improve their ability to manage their own attitude while at home and work.

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WHY ACCOUNTABILIT Y? Does your company have issues with deadlines missed, important tasks going uncompleted or employees ignoring the rules? In an environment of accountability, trust is earned, work is fairly distributed and common goals unite the team even under challenging circumstances.

WHY AT TENDANCE?

WHY LIFE SKILLS?

The benefits of regular attendance can be summarized by the famous quote, "The world is run by those who show up." NICC attendance skills training teaches employees the importance of showing up, qualities of courtesy, reasons employees are late for work and employer’s perception of late or absent workers.

You’ve taught the skills needed for the job, but an employee's life skills can impact the day-to-day operations at work. Our life skills course will teach employees how to positively handle conflict, explore ways to manage time and stress and learn skills that will lead to financial health. Mastering these skills will reduce stress and help employees be focused and positive members of a company.

Every human resources office has a policy on attendance, but that doesn’t mean attendance is understood by all. Having poor attendance might not necessarily reflect on the employee's work ethic and values. It may be something as simple as not fully understanding how attendance and accountability connect with the career.

HOW DOES THIS BENEFIT YOU? •

Better workplace communication

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Less workplace drama

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Accountable employees

“When you complete Career Pathway

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More independent workers

Certificate programs, you are

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Positive workplace culture

more competitive as a job seeker

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Well-rounded employees

or when looking to advance in a company. This is an opportunity to

LEARN MORE ABOUT CAREER PATHWAY CERTIFICATES AND HOW OUR TRAINING CAN BENEFIT YOUR CURRENT OR FUTURE EMPLOYEES.

build my talents, and I want to get more education."

INFO-CIRCLE www.nicc.edu/cpc

JAIME HERNANDEZ-RODRIGUEZ

Welding '16 CNC Operator '18 Industrial Maintenance '20

•

INFO-CIRCLE www.nicc.edu/solutions / phone 844.642.2338, ext. 1399

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OUT OF TH Coaching in the Community

Coaching a youth or high school team in your community can be a great way to spend time outside of the office.

It offers you the opportunity to be a role model for students.

DO I NEED TO BE “AUTHORIZED” TO BE A VOLUNTEER COACH OF A YOUTH RECREATION PROGR AM? Coaching in Iowa (paid or volunteer) requires a valid authorization or endorsement. The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners requires all coaches for interscholastic athletic activities in Iowa K-12 schools to be fully authorized prior to coaching any sports.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BET WEEN AUTHORIZ ATION AND ENDORSEMENT? Coaching Authorization typically is for a non-teacher, retiring teacher or college student who does not yet hold a teaching license.

Coaching Endorsement is for teachers who maintain a current teaching license and who completed the course requirements with semester hour credits.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO BECOME AN AUTHORIZED COACH? It can take six to eight weeks to complete the coursework and application process. The course must be completed within one year of the training start date or the full course will need to be retaken.

INTERESTED IN GETTING YOUR COACHING AUTHORIZATION? CONTACT US TODAY! phone 844.642.2338, ext. 1399

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SOLUTIONS MAGAZINE • SPRING / SUMMER 2022

What are the requirements? check

You must be 18 years of age and have a high school diploma or equivalent.

check

Attend a 55-hour college course which includes structure and function of the human body, prevention and care of athletic injuries,human growth and development, theory/methods and ethics of coaching, and CPR Certification. NICC offers a hybrid class including two 8-hour face-to-face sessions in addition to an online component of instruction and assignments through Human Kinetics. Applicants must complete two exams successfully.

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Obtain a Concussion Training Certificate.

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Complete an application to the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners including a successful background check and fingerprinting.

HE OFFICE Wellness through Movement What activities are you doing outside of work hours?

Taking care of yourself is part of living a successful, balanced life.

We want to make sure you continue learning outside of the workplace. Continuing education doesn’t apply only to your career, so you should strive to keep learning new skills. Hobbies are a great way to reduce stress and overcome the feeling of burnout.

BENEFITS TO LEARNING A NE W SKILL: check check

Improves brain health and memory.

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Fosters connection with others.

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Increases mental well-being and happiness.

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Keeps you relevant.

SCAN TO FIND THE NEXT “OUT OF OFFICE” OPPORTUNITY IN YOUR AREA.

*www.upskilled.edu

Dennis and Sandy from Scheckle Dance Instruction get you moving with their upbeat dance classes. Typical styles for classes include swing, rumba, foxtrot and salsa.

“Sandy and Dennis are top-notch instructors!

We enjoy coming to their classes!”

The modern teaching kitchen at Steeple Square is perfect for all types of cooking classes and culinary training.

Allison Pusateri and Aziza Keleher teach cooking and baking skills to youth and adults. Even if you have good cooking skills, there is always a new recipe to learn and what better way than from the experts.

MARILYN LEARN BENEFITS OF DANCING INCLUDE: Reduced stress, heart disease prevention, increased strength and motor fitness, decreased risk of dementia and diminished depression. * Source: danceacademyusa.com

Norwegian and Carnival Cruises dance instructors.

Through a partnership with Dubuque County Conservation, you can be active and learn a new hobby like kayaking.

BENEFITS OF K AYAKING: •

It's an aerobic sport, which is also known as a cardiac exercise.

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Spending time outdoors and getting fresh air can help reduce stress.

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Being in the midst of nature is not just enjoyable, it can make you kinder, happier and more creative.

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Brain health benefits: kayaking produces chemical neurotransmitters like dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin that will improve your focus and attention.

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Being more active and exercising regularly can help improve your memory and thinking skills.

*abovehouse.com

INFO-CIRCLE www.nicc.edu/solutions / phone 844.642.2338, ext. 1399

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Learning + Fun = NICC Ca mps We strive to understand the needs of our community and how we can solve them.

It is no secret that child care is a stressor for parents. In fact, the child care workforce has shed 126,700 employees, a drop of more than 10%, since pre-pandemic levels. And more than 10,000 workers have left for employment in other industries since last summer, per the Department of Labor.*

Solution Northeast Iowa Community College camps. You may already be familiar with the popular Kids on Campus held annually at our Peosta campus for more than 20 years, but the College offers so many other opportunities to help working parents. NICC kids camp range from a few hours, all day or weeklong programming for non-school days.

C AMPS INCLUDE: •

Be Your Own Boss

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STEAM

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Build Your Own Business

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Kids in the Kitchen

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Progressive Agriculture Safety

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Home Economics: Life Skills

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Robotics

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Programming

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Photography

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And More!

Don’t stress about child care options for non-school hours, let NICC be your solution.

C AMP LOC ATIONS Calmar · Cresco · Dubuque · Manchester · Peosta · Oelwein · Waukon

WANT TO STAY UP TO DATE ON ALL YOUTH-RELATED PROGRAMMING?

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER: *source:morningbrew

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SOLUTIONS MAGAZINE • SPRING / SUMMER 2022

We pride ourselves on making our camps fun and engaging while teaching kids valuable life skills.

INFO-CIRCLE www.nicc.edu/solutions / phone 844.642.2338, ext. 1399

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Business and Community Solutions P.O. Box 400 • Calmar, IA 52132

THERESA Spotlight EMPLOYEE

Theresa Leisen

Creating Solutions for Your Business If you need training or workshops at your workplace, our team can do the work for you. Theresa and our customized training team will arrange instructors/speakers, develop training content and materials, no matter the topic. We’ll use our resources to ensure your business receives the quality, customized training you need. We can bring the training right to you or at one of our convenient locations.

BRIEFCASE

WORK BACKGROUND Business Solutions Consultant Advertising Account Executive at the Telegraph Herald

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COMMUNIT Y INVOLVEMENT AHA Executive Leadership Team Board Dubuque Heart Walk Women's Leadership Network

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FAMILY Married with Two daughters

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HOBBIES Biking Running Gardening Baking

Recently, expert instructor Celina Peerman, Ph.D., delivered a customized training experience for Progressive Processing. Training was offered in multiple sessions so production could stay on track and multiple shifts could attend.

“I was very happy with the training opportunities that we recently completed. The facility was great, the NICC team was prepared and the content from Dr. Peerman was on point for the challenges our leadership team is facing.”

JOE MUZIK, PLANT MANAGER Hormel Foods Progressive Processing LLC