Agenda Attachment A - Durham Technical Community College - Orange County Campus FY19-20 Operating Budget Request and CIP

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Hanover Research | December 2017 © 2017 Hanover Research 13 COMMUNICATION SKILLS Several interview participants emphasized written and verbal communication skills and brought up opportunities for Durham Te ch to prepare the local workforce in these areas . For example, Carrillo (Frontier) mentioned “basic communication skills” as a need, especially for early-career workers. One local leader suggested that “writing skills are really, really important” but that employers struggle to find workers who communicate well in writing. Jeffries (OC Emergency Services) mentioned a need for workers who have “customer service” skills and are “strong communicators.” Jeffries suggested programs that allow students to role -play or practice difficult scenarios they might encounter in the workplace. Examples might include situations in which there are barriers to communication, as well as general tactics for speaking with diverse audiences and communicati ng in stressful situations or about complicated topics. Another participant suggested there is a perception that Durham Tech does not emphasize “oral and written communication” skills and that this is not an area of strength for Durham Tech graduates. For some individuals, this might not prove a barrier to initial employment, but communication skills are increasingly important as workers encounter more varied work scenarios, and “start supervising, and managing, and leading” in their organization. INTERVIEWING AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS Several local employers mentioned interview a nd related professional skills , or “how to get a job,” as Strickler (UNC Health Care) suggested . Carrillo (Frontier) told Hanover that Durham Tech could provide “interviewing ski lls,” especially for high school students or early-career individuals. Examples might include appropriate attire, making a positive and professional impression, and marketing a professional persona on social media. Frischemeier (Boomerang) agreed that this is a need, suggesting a “workforce readiness” training program, especially for high school students. Interview participants also felt that the final step (“get the job”) should be a “major area of improvement” for Durham Tech. Strickler mentioned that he thought Durham Tech could put “greater emphasis” on job placement. Similarly, Frischemeier thought that students would be more likely to pursue programs beyond high school if job placement were a built-in feature . Participants see this topic as being tied to developing students’ interviewing skills. While acknowledging the difficulty of motivating younger students to dedicate themselves to job preparation, a clear track through inte rview training to job placement could help.