Partnering with Hanover College

By Jerry Johnson
Executive Director
Business Scholars Program
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Madison Chamber & Economic Development and the Business Scholars Program (BSP) at Hanover College have established a collaborative partnership to enable Chamber members (including businesses, nonprofit organizations and governmental units) to more easily access the BSP’s live case consulting projects. Working in conjunction with its membership Madison Chamber & Economic Development will assist the Business Scholars Program in identifying prospective clients who could potentially avail themselves of the benefits of a consulting study conducted by Hanover College senior Business Scholars. No fees are assessed for this consultation.

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Business Scholars Program Overview

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Established in 2004, the Business Scholars Program at Hanover College is an experiential business education program that enables students to learn and practice business skills and apply knowledge gained from faculty with extensive experience in industry and commerce. In addition to a rigorous schedule of classroom instruction, the Business Scholars take part in numerous workshops and networking events and participate in a project-based, paid internship during the summer between their junior and senior years. The capstone educational experience for the Business Scholars is a live case consulting project undertaken during their senior year.

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Live Case Consulting Project Overview

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The culminating experience for senior Scholars is the Business Strategy course. Business Scholars are required to execute a consulting project or “live case” analysis for a small to medium-size organization.  Projects typically involve a strategic audit, including the development and testing of business alternatives, and a recommended course of action for the organization.  Because projects often require the analysis of sensitive information Business Scholars will sign a confidentiality agreement with the client at the beginning of the engagement. 

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Over a 14-week period Business Scholars conduct analysis and research appropriate to the industry in which the company operates and, more specifically, the business issues identified by the client.  Typically, Business Scholars will be split into two separate teams: (1) the Internal Analysis Team will concentrate on financial and accounting processes, human resources practices (may include employee survey), operations and business structure; and (2) the External Analysis Team will study the industry and competition, products and services offered and markets served (may include demographic and market research studies).

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Client Requirements & Time Commitment

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The consulting project should not disrupt the organization being studied and requires a minimal time commitment on the part of the leadership of the enterprise.  In order for Business Scholars to successfully execute a project with significant real value to management, however, clients will be asked to provide information/documentation relevant to the organization and issues at hand.  Clients are also asked to participate in two important meetings: (1) the Project Kick-off Meeting, scheduled during the first two weeks of the term, wherein the various issues that the client company wants addressed are analyzed and evaluated and the process for ongoing communication and status updates is identified; and (2) the Final Project Review Session, conducted during the last week of the term and completely facilitated by the Business Scholars. During the review Scholars will deliver a professional presentation briefing the client on their findings and key recommendations. Scholars will also provide a detailed report to the client.

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Results

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Hanover College Business Scholars have successfully completed numerous consulting engagements with a wide variety of organizations operating in diverse economic sectors. To date, client feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. 

Lego Camp News Release

Lego Robotics Camp is one tool being used in Jefferson County to encourage students to pursue careers in advanced manufacturing and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).   Improving the perception of manufacturing careers among our young people is critical, especially considering the following. 

Almost 80% of Americans believe manufacturing is important to our economic prosperity, standard of living and national security.  Yet only 30% would encourage their children to go into manufacturing as a career, per studies done by the Manufacturing Institute. 

Thirty Jefferson County students, age 9 to 14, will use the LEGO NXT Robotics system to design, build and program their robots from scratch.  Participants will begin by following instructions to build a robot using LEGO bricks.  Included in the building materials is a programmable logic controller, much like the PLCs used in manufacturing plants to control materials and processes.  Sensors provide input information to the PLCs which then execute a specific program based on the input. The LEGO robots built by the campers behave exactly the same way. 

Camp runs for three days, July 16 – 18, at Southwestern Elementary School.  Students will demonstrate their robots and share what they’ve learned on the last day of camp, presenting to both parents and engineers from local companies. 

Camp is sponsored by Madison Chamber and Economic Development and is one of many strategies implemented in Jefferson County in collaboration with the EcO15 Region to create a long term pipeline of highly skilled, qualified workers in STEM.  Introducing fun, hands-on technology at a young age can spark an interest in students who may choose to pursue an educational pathway within the fields of engineering or technology. 

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Madison Chamber and Economic Development is part of the EcO15 initiative in Southeast Indiana.

News Release

Madison, Indiana, July 9, 2012 –

The Jefferson County EcO₁₅ Talent Initiative, along with the Madison Chamber and Economic Development Alliance and the Community Foundation of Madison and Jefferson County, thank the Lilly Endowment Inc. for awarding an additional $5 million in grants to support the work of the Economic Opportunities through Education (EcO₁₅) Initiative in 10 Southeast Indiana counties.  The Community Education Coalition (CEC) will receive $2.1 million, and $2.9 million will be awarded to the Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County - on behalf of the region.

“Since the beginning of EcO₁₅ in 2007 we consciously built elements of sustainability into our plans here in Jefferson County.  With this announcement, an additional $470,000 is coming our way and provides a strong foundation for moving ahead faster than anticipated.  We look forward to continued collaboration with The Heritage Fund, the CEC, all our regional partners, and especially our partners here in Jefferson County,” said Kathy Huffman, Talent Initiative/EcO₁₅ Jefferson County Coordinator. 

"Grote Industries has actively participated both locally and regionally in the EcO₁₅ Initiative since its inception.  Building the talent pipeline in Jefferson County, and the region, is vitally important to our current and future economy.  Within the Madison Chamber and Economic Development Alliance, EcO₁₅ is the bridge for collaboration between industry and education," said Jim Braun, Vice President and CFO at Grote Industries and member of the EcO₁₅ Advisory Council. 

Creating a regional learning system that trains educators in project-based learning (PBL) has taken hold, impacting thousands of students.  Within Jefferson County the implementation of PBL is a direct response to needs identified within industry to develop the skills of collaboration, team work, inquiry, and problem solving in the emerging workforce.

Noted Bill Barnes, Executive Director of The Community Foundation of Madison and Jefferson County, “This Initiative has engaged the Foundation in new ways and is a model for how communities can form networks to make real and sustainable progress in developing a workforce prepared to meet the demands of the 21^st Century work place. It is very rewarding to receive this additional grant support from the Endowment.”   

“The additional grant funding will carry the momentum forward and aids us in offering a unified presence that fosters a friendly climate where both large and small businesses succeed,” said Corey Murphy, Executive Director, Madison Chamber and Economic Development.  “Due in part to the hard work of the initial EcO₁₅ grant, our region is known as an excellent place for companies to locate. Companies will invest in locations where they believe a qualified workforce is available now and in the long-term. Such investments add to the quality of life because simultaneously they support small businesses, shops, restaurants, festivals and more,” he added.

“With the initial grant, EcO₁₅ helped build and sustain STEM-based programs such as Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Engineering programs and training equipment in Ivy Tech’s Advanced Manufacturing Lab.  Looking forward, our work will continue breaking down educational barriers, creating seamless educational pathways leading to careers in the industries that drive our local and regional economies.   It’s all about developing local talent, the human capital within our community,” said Kathy Huffman, Talent Initiative/EcO₁₅ Jefferson County Coordinator. 

Biz Connect: Arvin Sango

Since January, Arvin Sango Inc. of Madison has been aiming to fill up to 15 new hourly positions per month. The resurgence in hiring comes as they are returning to their former level of output. “We are ramping back up to where we were before the recession,” explained Karen Sassen, Director of Human Resources at Arvin Sango.

Although this is good news for the local economy, the Human Resources Department at Arvin Sango is struggling to fill those hourly positions. It seems there is more than one explanation for this disconnect between opportunities and those who are ready to take advantage of them. It may be because many members of today’s up-and-coming workforce are not aware of the job opportunities in their own community. Lack of interest in manufacturing jobs is another possible explanation. Sassen theorized that today’s high school students are of the impression that jobs of the future will feature them working at a computer, and not doing hands-on work. In a global economy, creativity and innovation are valued, but even more so if they are applied to real life problems. Arvin Sango is looking for hands-on learners, who would be excited to operate state-of-the-art equipment, and are interested in learning “how stuff works.”

There is no one-size-fits-all answer for meeting industry needs and interests of the up and coming workforce or the unemployed. Several projects and initiatives are in the works to bridge the gap between regional industries’ growing needs and the interests and capabilities of the workforce.

EcO15 is part of a Lilly Endowment Inc. grant to fund educational programs that help meet the needs of the region’s largest industries, including advanced manufacturing.

Manufacturing is a main focus of the EcO15 initiative, as it is the “major economic cluster,” in our region. Essentially, EcO15 is helping to develop and fund resources for both educators and students to increase manufacturing job readiness skills as well as awareness.

One example is Project Lead the Way. Part of a national educational initiative, PLTW provides curriculum to schools for hands-on, project-based courses. All Jefferson County high schools are participating in Project Lead the Way with the Pathways to Engineering curriculum. Madison High School’s instructor, Mike Turner, explained how the project allows students to get a taste of the “real world of design and engineering.” The four-class pre-engineering curriculum is progressive, with each class building on the last ending with a capstone experience wherein students experience the life cycle of a concept, taking it through the patent research and design process all the way to creating the prototype. “Students coming out of the Project Lead the Way initiative might be a good fit for Arvin Sango’s summer intern program positions,” said Turner.

Turner hopes that the Pathways to Engineering program will be part of a larger “cultural shift” happening in our community that will encourage students to have a realistic view of what it’s like to work toward a career. Through engagement and hands-on application in classes at the high school level, students learn the desirable “soft skills” of discipline and teamwork.

Another hope is that manufacturers will continue to be involved by organizing school visits and plant tours, which take some of the mystery out of the world of manufacturing for students. Turner guesses that many students lack a vision for what it takes to excel in the specialized field of advanced manufacturing. A strong presence from area manufacturers helps manufacturing stay favorably top-of-mind, and students tend to be more interested in careers that are highly visible.

Visibility is one focus of EcO15’s involvement with the “Dream It. Do It.” Campaign, which aims to light the way for people in the region to advance in their careers and education or training level. Cooperation between educators and manufacturers is a key component of this initiative to meet the training and educational needs of the workforce as they prepare for the promising and growing range of opportunities provided by manufacturers in our region.

Current openings at Arvin Sango are a testament to those opportunities. There are possibilities for promotion and career building at a company that has proven its resilience in the often-turbulent climate of the last four years. Potential areas of advancement include maintenance and team leadership roles. Manufacturing is fast paced and important work. This kind of work would be a good fit for energetic, competitive, hands-on learners who take pride in being a part of a great team.

Because manufacturing is so specialized and revolves around automation, it takes some time spent in the environment learning to operate the equipment to see if it is a good fit for both parties. Arvin Sango offers paid trial period for 90-days. Prospective employees then have the option of applying for a permanent position at the end of the period. Once hired, team members are trained on state-of-the-art equipment involving robotics and computer controlled welding.

“Manufacturing is coming back, and there are careers to be built in this field,” Sassen said. Though we are coming out of a recession, opportunities are there for the taking at Arvin Sango.

All signs seem to point to the fact that it is a good time to begin working toward a career in manufacturing. Educational and training opportunities abound, and with regional support from the EcO15 initiative, Southeastern Indiana is of national interest as a promising region for advanced manufacturing. Area industry is returning to its former production level, which means jobs are available for Hoosiers who are ready to join in on investing in the future.