Corporate University Model Essay
Briefly give a two to three page overview of the corporate university model. Focus on why many organizations today are emphasizing training utilizing the internal university structure.
Nowadays a corporate university model is considered to be a powerful tool for learning. Jeanne Meister who is a president of a special research and consulting firm Corporate University Xchange, Inc. tells in her interview for the Journal The Technology Source about the structure and major goals of the corporate universities. She says that “a corporate university is a portal within a company” where all the education of employees takes place.(Morrison & Meister, 2000, para.3)
A corporate university model is a so called “strategic hub” of the organization which has the major task – to educate the employees, customers and suppliers. It is known that the number of the corporate universities is constantly increasing. Many corporations are interested in providing not only the employee’s training but also the employee’s education. They follow “knowledge economy” and try to support changing needs of business. Many corporations are sure that effective education of employees will help to achieve the major strategic goals of the organization and to improve the performance. (Kaeter, 2000, p.38)
Another specialist in corporate university management Margaret Kaeter represents three major organizational models of corporate universities:
Classic model which allows the employee to get education at college.
Educational Portal model allows the employees to get education online. The corporation has its own website which stands for the virtual campus for students.
Tailors Training model allows the employees to get education in universities which are working “in tandem to develop distance learning courses”. These courses are closely connected with the corporation’s business goals. Moreover, training material usually contains a lot of information describing the corporation itself.(Kaeter, 2000, p.115)
Jeanne Meister, an expert in corporation university management, represents some methods which help to implement and sustain an effective model of corporate university. They include the following ones:
It is necessary to create a governing body of the corporate university which will control the process.
The strategic plan should be created in order to achieve the major organizational goals.
It is also necessary to create a funding strategy;
It is also very important to determine the audience which will use the corporate university service.
It is necessary to select traditional universities and those firms which will be the learning partners;
The use of new technology and appropriate resources should be determined for the successful education of employees. (Meister, 2007, p.52)
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, it is necessary to say that corporate universities play an important role in development programs of organizations which are focused on the process of education of employees and on the corporate culture. The employees who have got education at corporate universities not only perform their professional duties better but also they learn new skills and earn degrees which help them to make a good career in the future. That is why many organizations are emphasizing training utilizing the internal university structure.
