A training success

On a campus that consists of two rooms in the basement of a county administration building, Chesterfield University is making a name for itself.

Its success as a training center for employees has earned Chesterfield County a spot for the third year in the Training Top 125 list of the best organizations in the country for employee learning opportunities. The new rankings will be released tomorrow by Training Magazine at a black-tie event in Atlanta.

For the past two years, Chesterfield has been the only local government on the list. Last year, its ranking at No. 45 was two places higher than CarMax. Capital One Financial Corp. came in at No. 15 for the highest ranking of a locally-based company. Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, which employs about 1,200 people in the Richmond area, was ranked third.

Chesterfield University was created about seven years ago to improve employee skills in ways that relate to the county's seven strategic goals and eight core competencies.

"One of the county's seven strategic goals is to be the employer of choice," said Don Kappel, public affairs director.

"That ties into this, because you're not just talking about pay, you're talking about things like the working environment, training opportunities and opportunities for advancement. That's what's so cool about this."

Other strategic goals include being a business-friendly community, using tax dollars wisely, having world-class customer service, assuring a safe and secure community, protecting the environment and boosting the quality of life.

Chesterfield University was spun off from the human resources department's training unit "to show that learning is organizationally based and not an HR initiative," said Chesterfield University Dean Kevin Bruny.

Last year, the school had 39,375 students enroll in 5,624 courses. The county has only 4,500 employees, many of whom took more than one course.

Chesterfield University staff members also do training for other customers. They teach leadership and supervisory skills for Fairfax County and work-force diversity for the Riverside Criminal Justice Agency. The next step, Bruny said, may be to expand beyond employees and focus on the community, with leadership programs for neighborhood associations or résumé-writing classes for libraries to help their customers.

Most courses last two to six hours, possibly with an online component to complete before the classroom session begins.

"People want things quicker, faster and not to spend time sitting in a classroom," Bruny said.

For a hearty endorsement of the program, look no further than Kathy Bernhard, administrative manager in the Chesterfield commonwealth attorney's office. She has received certificates in supervisory leadership and human resource management, and she's working on a quality certificate.

"I found it such a wonderful experience that I have encouraged my staff to also get leadership certificates," she said. "Every one of them came back with big smiles on their face.

"Happy people make good workers. If you can identify something they need help with and give them the help they need, it's good for everybody."

Contact Katherine Calos at (804) 649-6433 or .