SHIP PROMOTES QUALITY BY SAVANNAH TRANCHELL TWO-WAY TRAINING
ON-DEMAND, SELF-TAUGHT The program consists of online, self-guided modules hosted in the Canvas learning platform. Each module includes a short lesson paired with homework activities and assessments where the participants can apply the skills. For students, the modules cover: • Overcoming imposter syndrome and code-switching • Requesting and receiving negative feedback • Bringing your authentic self to work • Using an emotional vocabulary to manage stressful situations • Building your personal network and partnering with employee resource groups Managers also get access to Canvas and the modules in order to learn along with their interns. Manager topics include: • Cultural awareness • Considering employee diversity holistically • Communicating with empathy • Recruiting and onboarding interns • Communicating the corporate culture Kennedy and Parks are each creating half of the modules. Participating in the program will be free for CWU and UW Bothell students and the host companies. “What makes this program unique is the combining of expertise of these two universities,” Parks said. That collaboration is key to reaching more organizations and making a real impact on the employee pipeline. KPMG PARTNERSHIP Another aspect of the grant is an expanded relationship between Central and KPMG, one of the largest financial service organizations in the world. The company created a team of champions—CWU alumni who are dedicated to increasing KPMG’s presence on campus and utilizing Central’s faculty expertise to benefit their own employees. “This partnership allows KPMG professionals to closely collaborate with Central in many areas,” said Michelle Quisenberry, a KPMG partner and 1990 graduate of Central’s accounting program. “I am the first female
In the past few years, many organizations have launched diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives to support hiring more BIPOC candidates. But those good intentions come with learning curves. Kennedy has worked with different organizations to create internship programs that are accessible to diverse students. That process may include reevaluating the application to give more weight to community and family involvement over academic achievement, as well as holding information sessions targeted at students of color. “We saw that students of color weren’t applying for internships because they didn’t have the same kind of job experiences” as their White peers, Kennedy said. Once companies saw success at increasing the diversity among their interns, they came across an unexpected hurdle. “A manager reached out and said, ‘I don’t know how to mentor this student. Their background and experience are nothing like what I grew up with,’” she said. “Another reached out and noted some professionalism and business skills the students were lacking. It was interesting to me that there were shortcomings on both sides that we could work on.” With the Reaching New Heights grant, the two universities are creating a program that helps students be more prepared for an internship in a corporate environment and helps their supervisors build emotional intelligence skills vital to managing individuals from different backgrounds. “As companies are working to break down systemic barriers, creating more policies that will help increase hiring, retention, and promotion of minority employees, we want to make sure that as that pipeline is opened, our interns, our employees are prepared to step into that open pipeline and effectively compete,” Parks said. “Especially those who are first-generation and may not have business acumen from their home environment.”
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