Sep. 25—Brescia University is partnering with businesses to develop certain skills in employees, including critical thinking, communication and life-long learning, as part of the Workforce Development Initiative.

"We were approached by a national company who asked us to help them develop certain skills and how to help their employees become life-long learners," said Anna Kuthy, Ursuline Center for Teaching and Learning director. "The leadership at that company wanted to work on the advancement of their workforce base."

The college is running highly customizable 10-week courses with flexible hours of synchronous, virtual instructor-guided student work, ranging from 60 minutes to three hours, with flexible and affordable prices.

"We want to assist them, not just as employees, but beyond their professional lives," Kuthy said. "There's a benefit in carrying these into other parts of the employees' lives."

Brescia has been working with partners in this program for approximately a year and are still accepting a few more this year.

"For Brescia, the goal is to offer an educational service, and educational consulting falls into that category," Kuthy said. "We build courses around their weaknesses. Leadership at these businesses are already noticing a difference in how employees are approaching their jobs."

Kuthy said their partners in this initiative come from the business and public sectors mostly.

"We are taking a holistic approach on this which separates us from other programs that are on the market right now," she said. "We want to show employees how their skills help to process the world around them, to be a better community member, employee, family member."

There are benefits on both sides of this program, Kuthy said.

"One of the biggest desires from employers today is they want employees who have liberal arts skills," she said.

For more information on the Workforce Development Initiative, contact Kuthy at anna.kuthy@brescia.edu or 270-686-4277.