On Wednesday, Sept. 18, MCC Recruitment was on hand in Lake Havasu City to help participants through the application process.
MOHAVE COUNTY –Employees in supervisory roles with Lake Havasu City are adding a plethora of skills to their toolbelts, from customer service to managing organizational change and more, as part of the organization’s Supervisor Excellence Academy. The academy utilizes a partnership with MCC’s Corporate Education & Workforce Training Department, and for the first time, the joint effort will see those taking the course enrolled as MCC students.
MCC’s Workforce Training Program and Lake Havasu City are once again teaming up to provide leadership development training for city staff in an effort to further invest in employee talent and improve services to the community. In February 2024, the first class of more than 20 graduates completed the Supervisor Excellence Academy, which was an internal training initiative established by Lake Havasu City Manager Jess Knudson and Bobbie Kimelton, Director of Human Resources.
“Many of the city’s supervisors were promoted into leadership positions based on their technical expertise as subject matter experts in their respective areas of responsibility but had received no formal training in leadership or supervision,” says Bobbie Kimelton, Human Resources Director for Lake Havasu City.
Enter a partnership between Mohave Community College Corporate Training and Business Development, which aims to provide individuals, companies and organizations with a personalized approach to professional development enhancement, and the Supervisor Excellence Academy. The entities worked together to design and facilitate custom classes covering 52 weeks of training on a variety of topics such as budgeting and finance, procurement, project management, strategic management, leadership and supervision and much more.
“The goals of MCC and Lake Havasu City are aligned concerning improving workforce skills and enhancing local economic development,” says Gina Kremper, Associate Dean of Corporate Education and Business Development. “The City had unique insights into the specific workforce needs of the community and as we are building our corporate education program, it has enhanced our credibility as a provider of customized corporate education.”
One major development in the second year of the partnership is the enrollment of those in the academy as Mohave Community College students. Kremper says the cohort was enrolled as MCC students in light of the College’s credit-based customized programming. On Wednesday, Sept. 18, MCC Recruitment was on hand in Lake Havasu City to help participants through the application process.
“Every participant will receive the same student support that any of our students receive,” Kremper says. “All of the participants have access to student success coaches, advisors, tutoring, and any other service the College provides to students enrolling on their own. If the participants successfully complete the program, they will receive a certificate of completion and earn 12-15 credit hours that they can take and apply to further their education.”
Inaugural graduate Melissa Dyer, Infrastructure Supervisor with Havasu’s IT Department, said she applied for the course to bolster her supervisor experience.
“Honestly, any time you get an opportunity to improve your skillset, you should take it,” said Dyer. “I’m a supervisor in Lake Havasu City, but my previous supervisor experience was about 15 years ago.”
She said the course allowed her to familiarize herself with the tools available to supervisors, as well as collaborate with coworkers with whom she hadn’t had the chance to work with in the past.
“I would highly recommend it to anyone seeking to advance or to any new supervisor,” Dyer said. “It’s an excellent introduction to tools and resources available.”
For more information on MCC’s Corporate Education & Workforce Training offerings, go to https://www.mohave.edu/corp-ed/ or contact gkremper@mohave.edu. Classes can be offered in the Kingman, Lake Havasu City, Bullhead City or North Mohave areas. Full or partial funding for course fees may be available from ARIZONA@WORK through its grant-funded programs.
