92 Western Avenue

Fairfield, ME 04937-1367

 

 

FOR RELEASE UPON RECEIPT                                    For more information

October 13, 2005                                                                  contact: Erica Humphrey,

Public Relations, KVCC

(207) 453-5157

                                                                                                ehumphrey@kvcc.me.edu

 

KVCC Partners with T-Mobile to Train Workforce

 

     As T-Mobile USA customer care representatives begin working this fall at the wireless service provider’s new FirstPark facility in Oakland, many will use skills they acquired at Kennebec Valley Community College.

     Through the state-funded Maine Quality Centers (MQC) Project, KVCC is delivering pre-hire training to up to 400 potential applicants for T-Mobile’s Customer Care Representative Positions.  The training, provided free-of-charge, is customized to meet the company’s needs.  In return, T-Mobile agrees to interview all trainees that have successfully completed the program.

     The pre-hire training sessions, attended by approximately fifteen to twenty people per session, began on July 11, and the entire training project is expected to be completed by January 31, 2007.  All trainees must complete one 110-hour Session for Customer Care Representative Training that includes the following subjects:  Technical Writing, Team Building, Customer Relations, Assertiveness Training, Keyboard Skill Building, Microsoft Windows Operating System, Overview of Access, Basic Math, and Telephone Scenarios.

     Preliminary training of a number of the approximately 700 representatives T-Mobile plans to hire as it ramps up operations over the next 18 months is taking place at KVCC thanks to the state-funded Maine Quality Centers Project.

     The MQC Project has allowed hundreds of state residents to receive free training for jobs over the past decade, and the T-Mobile initiative is an example of how the effort continues to thrive, according to Bruce A. Davis, Ph.D., Associate Dean of Continuing Education at KVCC and manager of the T-Mobile project for KVCC.  “It has been a very successful incentive program for the state,” Davis said.

     Authorized by the Maine Legislature in 1993, the project makes money available for job-specific training at community colleges for new and expanding businesses in Maine. By making training available at no cost to employers and trainees, it is designed to spur economic growth.

 

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     To qualify for the program, businesses must complete an application and commit to creating at least eight new jobs based on established program criteria. Training programs appropriate to the jobs are then developed in collaboration with the college where training will take place.  The training typically simulates a workplace atmosphere.

     The application process for trainees is even simpler – a single page comprising work history and proof of a high school diploma or a General Equivalency Diploma (G.E.D.).

     KVCC has been an enthusiastic participant in the program since it began, and is now helping to train the future T-Mobile workforce at its Fairfield campus.

     “Everyone at KVCC has been fabulous to work with,” Meredith Atkinson, Human Resources Manager for T-Mobile at the Oakland call center, said. “It’s been a great partnership - we want to make sure we both get the results that we want and employ as many people as possible.”

     In order to be considered for a job with T-Mobile, a worker must demonstrate certain skills by passing a qualifying examination. The community college is providing preliminary training to help workers without those skills attain them. Those who complete the training and pass the exam are then eligible for employment. If hired, they receive another eight weeks of T-Mobile specific training.

     “We have a lot of success stories,” Davis said. “Many of the people we train for new start-up companies go on to become supervisors and trainers for those companies.”

     One added benefit of the program is the way it exposes people to a college atmosphere who might otherwise never have taken a course beyond high school. For many, the experience encourages them to seek further education at KVCC or other area colleges.

     The local impact of the Quality Centers Project has rippled through central Maine’s economy as the number of people trained at KVCC has grown. More than 1,000 people may eventually be trained for the T-Mobile jobs, but that represents only a fraction of the people trained since 1993.

     “In the last few years, we’ve trained more than 900 people in the mental health field alone,” Flora Stack, Continuing Education Coordinator for the College said. Stack and Davis estimated their office is managing an average of 250 Quality Center trainees in any given week, and said there are five open training projects at KVCC right now.

     Starting pay has generally ranged from $9 to $18 per hour for participants who have successfully completed Quality Center training through KVCC, Davis said.

     The Maine Quality Centers Project represents a successful partnership between KVCC, the state, and local business that is providing brighter futures for Maine workers and the industries they depend on for their livelihoods. KVCC remains committed to providing the training that makes the partnership possible.

     “It truly is a great deal for everyone,” Davis said.

 

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