Vol. 3, No. 10, October 2006
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Learn to Serve
The Institute for Service Excellence prepares workers for success
Are you a shopper? Do you or family and friends tend to hang out at the nearby mall? Well, if you take even an occasional trip to the mall, Atlantic Cape Community College has some exciting news for you. Later this fall, a site for the Institute for Service Excellence (ISE) will be opening at the Hamilton Mall in Mays Landing. This new 4,100-square-foot facility will have two multi-use classrooms, a computer lab, job resource room, conference space, and some offices located just past the food court near Sears on the second floor of the mall.
The ISE is a workforce development partnership initiative designed to enhance the skills of potential and incumbent workers in service industries, including retail, tourism, health care and hospitality.
Joining ACCC in this new facility will be the Atlantic Cape May Workforce Investment Board, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development and the National Retail Federation.
The build-out expenses were underwritten by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, the NJ DOL, Atlantic Cape Community College and Kravco-Simon, Inc., the mall owner and management operator. In fact, many kudos to Kravco-Simon, which is leasing the site to ACCC for just $1 a year and covering the entire operational site costs as well!
The ISE is based on a national model established by the National Retail Federation, a professional association of retailers. There are currently 16 skill centers similar to the ISE across the United States, but none that have specifically targeted more than the retail industry, as this institute has.
The ISE’s core sales and service training program is based on the NRF curriculum guidelines, and prepares students for the NRF’s national certification test in professional customer service. This system of certification addresses the need for an industry-recognized credential that documents an individual’s knowledge and skill in sales and service. Possession of this certification increases career opportunities for the job-seeker, and provides employers with a cost-effective tool to guide recruitment, measure employee performance and evaluate training.
How do we know that this training actually works? ACCC has been quietly implementing this program for over two years at the Atlantic County One Stop Center in Atlantic City and at other sites. In fact, this program is successful even with “high-risk” populations. Here’s an example.
Administrators at Oakcrest High School who work with special-needs students approached ACCC in the fall of 2005 to see if we could teach the Professional Customer Service class for 12th graders in their alternative route program. Where normally students would leave school at noon to go to a job, seniors were “recruited” to stay at school for three afternoons a week and participate in this curriculum. Dee Kelly was recruited to instruct and conducted the class in a very professional and friendly environment.
Here are the outstanding results: 13 alternative school seniors applied to participate. Class started in October 2005. In May 2006, 10 students graduated. The change in the participants was remarkable. They demonstrated customer service and public speaking skills rarely seen in young adults. Seven of the ten students passed the NRF certification exam and one missed by very few points.
Nine of the ten students secured jobs in the industry. Most are pursuing further education while they work. Congrats to Mrs. Kelly and to the students for retaining their positive energy and doing the hard work to succeed! The morale of this story is… a good curriculum in the hands of a caring and capable college-level instructor can make a world of difference to the individual, no matter what age, and to area employers.
We hope you will stop by to visit the Institute for Service Excellence at the Hamilton Mall. Keep your eyes open for announcements of the grand opening and your ears open to refer family, friends and co-workers who might be looking for a great opportunity to enhance their sales and service skills.
