GMA SHRM HR Link

The SHRM 2004-2005 Workplace Forecast highlighted the need to prepare business, industry, communities, and the education systems for the impending impact of retirements and subsequent labor shortage predicted in the near future . Some of the societal trends that support this concern are:
- Changing definition of family
- 24/7 work culture
- Changing concerns for work/life balance benefits
- Poor educational performance of U.S. students
- Increase in the number of people entering the workforce without a college degree

In a proactive approach, SHRM National has formed a Workforce Committee, committed to preparing a qualified workforce through the public schools, vocational, and technical colleges; adult education opportunities; remedial employee training; and continuing professional development. In order to achieve this goal, strong alliances between business, local, state and federal government, educators, and the local community will need to be created.

This is where GMA SHRM fits in - the local community. One of our strategic objectives for 2003 -2004 was to partner with the community to provide volunteer services to students and adults to better prepare them for entry or re-entry into the workplace. The Community Connections program was designed to develop and facilitate educational events that allow its membership to actively assist in the betterment of the community through volunteer efforts. The focus of these volunteer efforts is to share the wealth of Human Resource knowledge possessed by its members with the community through volunteer time and other direct efforts such as job coaching, interviewing skills development, resume building, networking, and so much more!

Whether you want to work with High School students or adults re-entering the workforce, and even if you have only a couple of hours to dedicate, this is an exciting opportunity to share your talents and skills to bridge the employment gap that many people in our community are experiencing. If you are interested in more information or wish to volunteer, please contact Jerry French at (608) 261-2139 or Gerald.french@dwd.state.wi.us.

Workforce Readiness Volunteer Orientation

The Workforce Readiness Committee is holding a volunteer orientation on June 28th, from 7:45 am to
8:30 am, at Park Bank, 6701 Raymond Road, Madison. The orientation is designed to allow anyone interested in volunteering with the Community Connections program to do so.

Please contact Debra Martinez or Jerry French with any questions.

The PEOPLE Program
By Steve Schroeder, Interim Director, School of Business Career Center

The PEOPLE Program provides pre-college educational services to hundreds of middle and high school students. Currently, 80 graduates of the PEOPLE program are attending UW-Madison, helping to achieve campus diversity goals, which are contained in Plan 2008.

Our goal is that the PEOPLE participants graduating from UW-Madison are prepared to: fill management and technical positions in the public and private sectors, pursue graduate studies leading to careers in academia or the professions, and assume leadership positions with the nation's civic and community organizations.

The PEOPLE Program seeks to increase enrollment and graduation of ethnic minority and low-income students in institutions of higher education, particularly at UW-Madison.

Upon completion of the ninth grade, our students, who are from Milwaukee, Madison, Waukesha, Racine, Ho-Chunk and Menominee Nations, participate in an intensive residential summer program experience at UW-Madison to strengthen academic skills. The residential summer agenda for the program participants are highlighted below:

Summer Residential Component

The First Two Consecutive Summers (Summer of 9th & 10th Grades--June 19-July 9):
This 3-week residential program on the UW-Madison campus is constructed to strengthen academic skills: i.e. in the areas of Math, Science, Writing and ACT preparation. The students also participate in a number of residential cultural and fine art activities.

Third Summer (Summer after 11th Grades--June 19-July 29):
A 6-week residential research experience for learning and applying methods of scientific inquiry and analysis in the biological, clinical, physical and applied sciences, as well as the social sciences and humanities. The research experience includes internships within public and corporate sponsors.

Upon high school graduation, students are encouraged to apply to colleges of their choice. If they choose to apply at UW-Madison and are accepted, the students will be eligible for a five-year tuition scholarship.

The Internship Component

We sincerely ask the internship sites, in which we place the students, to help us solidify our goals by aiding us with internship placement for our third year students. Any internship opportunity, which cultivates positive interdisciplinary work related experiences, would be most helpful. It is our hope, in securing these internship placements, that these relationships that we forge will become a positive symbiotic relationship, which will continue to grow and prosper as we move forward into the future.

Any internship opportunity, which cultivates positive interdisciplinary work related experiences, would be most helpful to our students. Our students need various practicum based experiences in order for them to ascertain and refine their future college majors and career choices. These experiences are of no extra cost to the internship sites, because the program provides funding on behalf of the students

Important Information, At a Glance

Program Dates:

Program Counselors will move into the dorms on June 17, 2005.

Program Students will move into the dorms on June 19, 2005.

The program internships begin on June 22nd and end on July 28th. Also, please note, the students will be at those sites Monday-Friday from 1-5pm.

Students are allowed to go home on Independence Day: Friday, July 1, 2005. On July 4, they will return to campus.

July 8th they will be allowed to go home for the weekend.

Transportation:

All internship students will be provided with bus passes. If internship sites or instructors deem a field trip necessary for the students' professional development, PEOPLE has access to vans; consequently, it is imperative that the PEOPLE program has foresight of these transportation needs.

Liability Concerns:

All students are protected under the umbrella of the PEOPLE program.

If you are interested in participating, please contact Steve Schroeder at sschroeder@bus.wisc.edu or at Joselyn Diaz-Valdes at 608.263.0595 or jdiaz@education.wisc.edu.

GMA SHRM Sponsored Job Shadowing

By Abby Welch
On Friday, April 8th, I had the opportunity to job shadow Megan Sumner, the Senior Compensation Analyst for the UW Medical Foundation. It was a perfect way to learn about Compensation and Benefits and connect with an extremely talented and knowledgeable person within the HR field.

The day started at 8:00 a.m. when we met for coffee at Starbucks to chat for an hour about the UW Medical foundation, as well as Megan's responsibilities within the company. She also informed me about what would be discussed during the meeting that we went to at 9:00 a.m. with the directors of an outpatient surgery center. I was able to get a feel for how the HR employees interact with the clinic professionals and the interesting topics that are discussed.

After the meeting, we went to her office where she showed me the resources she uses to keep up on current information and some of her daily activities. Also, I was able to meet many of her co-workers and get an idea about other positions within HR. I really enjoyed spending the morning with Megan who answered many of my questions and gave me a very good understanding of the HR field.

Gaining this knowledge was one of my major goals when joining SHRM and this was the perfect opportunity to do that!

______________________________________________

By Megan Sumner, CCP, GMA SHRM Member
I saw the opportunity to have a student job-shadow me as a way to offer my own experiences as an HR professional with UW Medical Foundation.

The morning Abby visited, she had an opportunity to see how a compensation professional interacts with senior management. During our presentation of market data on a variety of outpatient surgery center positions, she quickly understood how compensation and benefits professionals play a critical role in strategic human resource decisions.

I shared with Abby my typical daily responsibilities, the types of interactions and conversations I have, and the variety of projects within our organization for compensation and benefits. In addition, we discussed the UW Medical Foundation's overall compensation philosophy and the many resources we use to assist us in developing and maintaining our competitive pay structure. Although we packed a lot into a short morning, I'm confident Abby walked away with a better understanding of the HR discipline and our organization.

I appreciated the opportunity for self-reflection about my own career path and valued the opportunity to network with a newly emerging professional. I am happy to have had the opportunity to share my experiences and hope that it will help develop Abby's interest in the compensation and benefits area.

PHR/SPHR Certification Orientation

BEGIN PLANNING FOR YOUR PHR/SPHR CERTIFICATION NOW!!

It's not too early to begin planning for the November-January PHR/SPHR Certification Exam. If you have been thinking about becoming certified, you'll have an opportunity to learn more by attending an orientation on Monday evening, August 8, at Capital Newspapers, located at 1901 Fish Hatchery Road, Madison. The orientation will be one hour starting at 5:30 p.m. We'll cover the following topics -

" Why become certified
" Requirements for certification
" Exam application, instructions and fees
" Exam content
" Review study materials
" Preparation options - UW-School of Business, study groups, or self study

And you'll also have the opportunity to meet with a representative from the UW-Madison School of Business, Small Business Development Center, who will be available to provide information about the 12-week SHRM Learning System Course that will be held at Grainger Hall beginning August 31. For more information about the course, see www.uwsbdc.org/shrm.htm.

Human Resource Certification is a symbol of professional achievement. The Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI), as part of the Society of Human Resources Management, maintains a set of nationally recognized standards and body of knowledge set by individuals working in the profession. The PHR or SPHR designation signifies that you have mastered this HR body of knowledge.

Consider joining other chapter members who have obtained their PHR or SPHR certification!

If you are interested in attending the orientation or have questions about certification, contact Debbie Reed at 608-252-6338 or dreed@madison.com. Check out the HRCI website at www.hrci.org for more information.

HR InTouch Guidelines

Article Writing:
Do you have an interest in writing for the HR InTouch? We have an interest in learning more about your area of expertise!

Why should you volunteer? Top three reasons: 1) To share your knowledge and experiences to educate others. 2) To become more connected in the HR and Dane County communities. 3) To contribute towards the advancement of GMA SHRM and the HR profession.

The first step is for you to choose a submission option: you can pre-submit an article to GMA SHRM at any time for us to use in any of the upcoming newsletters, you can sign up to write for a particular month, or we can put you on a list of people to contact in future months whenever we need articles.

Article length:
Because the HR InTouch is now in an online format, the size is flexible. The article should be engaging and hold readers' attention. Include the core information in your article, and we will advise if it is too lengthy.

Solicitation:
GMA SHRM conscious not to allow solicitation through the articles, in an effort to protect the interests of our partners and members. The nature of the article should be educational (i.e., what are the business advantages of having a product like yours) or informational. Otherwise, if you truly are interested in advertising through the HR InTouch, you can work with our Marketing Committee. As a rule of thumb for article writing, if the submission relates to a for-profit event, or specifically markets your company (vs. your industry), it is an advertisement, and should be purchased. If it is a not-for-profit event that your company is hosting, or an announcement (i.e., a SHRM member recently joined your company), it is an acceptable addition to the HR InTouch content. If you have any questions related to the appropriateness of your submission, please contact us.

If you have questions, or to submit an article, contact GMA SHRM at chapteradmin@gmashrm.org.