Penn State Great Valley recently announced the launch of a new professional development program: the Workforce and Career Development Certificate.

The four-course program provides important tools, knowledge, and awareness to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, capabilities, and capacities of the modern workforce. All courses are grounded in real-world challenges and opportunities and cover new technologies, making the certificate a timely educational experience for everyone from aspiring managers to senior managers.

“Over the last year, we have seen workers pushed to the limits in their jobs, within their organizations,” said Ed Weckerly, director of professional programs. “While it hasn’t been easy on everyone, one variable has remained constant, and that is the need to focus on employee performance. The reason that we focused on developing this new certificate program at Penn State Great Valley was to deliver a relevant, timely, and engaging program — one that allows our students who are currently in management or supervisor roles to apply strategies, best practices, and ethical guidelines to assist them while measuring employee performance.”

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to better understand and manage reactions to change; understand, identify, and reduce unconscious bias in the workplace and hiring process; develop key performance indicators from strategic goals and objectives; and much more.

One course that Weckerly believes could set the program apart from others is “Building a Diverse Workforce & Inclusive Culture.”

“This course is designed for our students to experience a deeper understanding of concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace, which is at the top of many organizations right now,” Weckerly said.

The program launches in January 2022, beginning with the course “Performance Management.” All courses are held remotely via Zoom once per week for seven weeks each. Students will receive a $50 discount on the first course if they register before Jan. 5.

Penn State Great Valley will hold a virtual information session discussing the details of the program at 12 PM on Thursday, Oct. 14. Click here for more information and to register.

For questions or additional information on the program, contact Weckerly at gvskills@psu.edu.