Ops Tap Varied Methods to Lift Training
By LINDA HAUGSTED -- Multichannel News, 3/19/2001
Cable operators intent on improving the quality and continuity of their employee training are embracing new techniques such as tapping community colleges, video conferencing and state-funded grant programs.
Training that employs outside sources, like the colleges, is especially effective in surmounting the geographic challenges of reaching small, widely separated systems, according to operators.
"Community colleges are a great resource and they will help develop just about any course you need," said Charlotte Strong, area manager for training and organizational development for West Texas for Cox Communications Inc.
Strong said that Cox' systems in the state have partnered with Southlands College in Lubbock and Midlands. Speaking on a panel at last month's Texas Show, she explained that instructors visit Cox sites on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while employees go to the schools on Tuesdays and Thursdays for lab instruction.
At Time Warner Austin, the operator pays for education and employees' attendant increases in productivity. Workers can earn 50 to 75 cents more per hour for taking classes and technical workers-such as business office and Internet help desk workers-can receive up to $2 more per hour for completing one year of schooling, said Cindi Kruse, vice president of human resources.
Classic Cable also is looking to local colleges for an extensive supervisory training program. Vice president of administration Jan Calongne said the course encompasses five semesters during employee off-hours, with 11 of the initial 13 enrollees still on course during the third semester.
Cox' West Texas operation also has successfully utilized video-conferencing for its training sessions. The price of the hardware has dropped and is easier to use, said Strong. The facilitator now can wear a button that allows the camera to track the speaker, as students interact via voice or e-mail.
Trainers also recommended that executives look into county and state grant programs for training funding. In Texas, operators may apply for SMART job grants through the state Department of Economic Development. That program is designed to help businesses "train, retrain and sustain."
"The training you're doing anyway can be underwritten," Strong advised. To qualify for the grants, companies retain the employees who participated in a program for at least 30 days after the class, and agree to give them raises of 3 to 5 percent following program completion.
Executives indicated they are spending more time and money trying to figure out how to improve their employee rolls, investments that pay off for the most part.
"People always ask, 'What if you spend all that money to train them, and then they leave?' Well I ask, 'What if you don't, and they stay?'" said Jim Copeland, director of training and management for Time Warner San Antonio.
