Dawn Busick is all about identifying changes in work force demands and meeting them immediately.
"I think the jobs that exist today, a lot of them will not exist 10 and 20 years from now," says Busick, executive director of Ozarks Technical Community College's Center for Workforce Development.
For that reason, Busick is working toward creating quick, intensive programs that give people the skills they need to serve a company's needs and improve their own futures.
"I'm so passionate about these programs, and it's because I've seen time after time it change people's lives," she says.
Busick says the semester-based education model is outdated for many modern demands of businesses.
They need specialized training and quick, intensive courses that give workers certification in specified areas. The courses may last one day or 10 weeks, depending on the training levels required.
"The educational model that not only this region, but this country, still delivers is dated. I don't think the educational model has quite turned that curve to be more responsive to business needs, to maintain a skilled, knowledgeable work force," Busick says. "I think community colleges are best positioned to be more responsive."
Busick's goal is to make OTC's Center for Workforce Development a "total business and community work force solutions center."
This means helping workers acquire new skills to get into a career trajectory, offering management training, helping businesses develop succession plans and providing highly specialized training. "We need to be armed and ready," she says.
Busick is exploring grant opportunities and other funding sources to help the college expand its menu of training options. She particularly sees a need for more information technology training.
"The new jobs we see have an IT component to them. Everyone needs to be proficient in working a computer," she says.
In response, she's exploring the creation of a regional consortium of IT professionals that would work to attract and develop IT talent in southwest Missouri; she held the first exploratory meeting on Dec. 4.
Busick is in a unique position to understand the role work force development plays in driving economic development. Prior to joining OTC, Busick served as director of the state's Department of Economic Development's Division of Workforce Development. She also served 24 years in the Illinois government before moving to Missouri.
"The thing about working in government ... is you get exposed to a lot different models to see what works and what doesn't," Busick says, noting that the takeaway for her was understanding that the greatest barriers to success are bureaucracy and processes.
Shifting the focus to the person seeking new skills and what's best for them - "which, by the way, is also what's best for our community" - creates greater economic stability, Busick says.
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