Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | June 25, 2018 | Worcester Business Journal 7 Say hello to the newest member of UniBank's Executive Management team. We are thrilled Robert E. Paulsen has joined us as Senior Vice President and Senior Lending Officer. Bob brings over 30 years of experience in the financial world to the Central Massachusetts and Metro West communities. The newest member of our Executive Management team, this Nichols College grad is eager to participate in the formulation of bank-wide strategies, decisions and policies. For more about Mr. Paulsen, visit unibank.com or call 508-849-4335. UniBank welcomes Robert E. Paulsen. Member FDIC /Member DIF UNI_LenderAd_WBJ_9x5.5.indd 1 6/8/18 9:45 AM ulum. e courses are generally held onsite at a company's offices. e school has worked directly with industry partners since the 1970s, and the focus on "eory and Practice," as WPI puts it in its motto, goes back to the school's founding, said Lew Rose, WPI's director of corporate partnerships. "ey're really developed to help in- dustry solve problems and operate more efficiently," Rose said. WPI typically teaches to manufactur- ing, energy, biotechnology or biomanu- facturing employers, Rose said, to help their workers become more efficient or stay on top of industry trends. "What's hot right now is what the future of work is going to look like," such as with automation, Rose said. "Because we're a technical school, a lot of companies we work with are already in this transition." Other Central Massachusetts schools are working directly with companies to cra special courses. Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester has CVS help teach some of its pharmacy technician courses. Nichols College in Dudley held an 18-month program with Fidelity Bank to teach supervisory skills, situational leadership, and conflict and negotiations. Nichols has incorporated such non- credit courses into its strategic plan, and the college signed an agreement in May with Boston accounting firm Wolf & Co. to create a graduate program specifi- cally for Wolf workers. e college is developing agreements with other such companies as well. "We're meeting a need that needs to be met in the business community," said Kerry Calnan, Nichols' director of graduate and professional studies. Community college partnerships Community colleges, which have long been more geared toward less-tradition- al students, now work more with local business leaders to cra course plans to specifically address needs of employers. Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner has a new certificate program for emergency medical technicians and this fall will start a noncredit certified management accountant program. "When there's a need in the commu- nity, we'll work to address it," said Rachel Frick Cardelle, Mount Wachusett's vice president of lifelong learning. QCC sees noncredit programs as allowing students who might be the first in their families to attend college to get comfortable without committing to school full-time. "is lets them stick their toe in the water a little bit," said Kathie Manning, QCC's dean of the Center for Work- force Development and Continuing Education. W

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