Administrative assistants are the glue that holds the campus collectively. From organizing recordsdata and drafting correspondences to producing stories and establishing conferences, they hold their division working easily. In addition they should be expert in time administration, communication, problem-solving, and know-how proficiency.
When Ericka Smith, vice chairman for human sources and chief individuals officer, held a campuswide listening tour with labeled workers in February 2021, one of many essential issues that got here out of the dialogue was a necessity and request for work-related expertise coaching custom-made for administrative assistants.
The next yr, Smith got here up with an answer. She, together with Kahala Crayton, UNLV’s studying and improvement specialist, created the Administrative Assistant Academy (A3), an eight-week program that gives coaching and upskilling for UNLV administrative assistants.
This system was piloted in fall 2022 with nice success, which then led to the spring 2023 comfortable launch. “The principle focus in the course of the pilot and comfortable launch was to search out the fitting stability between onerous/technical expertise and comfortable expertise in the case of the curriculum,” Crayton stated.
This system requires individuals to take a minimum of three in-person basic and cohort classes primarily based on their studying path.
- Studying Path A: An administrative assistant (at UNLV for six months or much less) who wants to achieve information about what’s required to carry out their duties right here.
- Studying Path B: An administrative assistant (Administrative Assistant I or Administrative Assistant II) who can carry out the foundational expertise required of their job with minimal help.
- Studying Path C: An administrative assistant (Administrative Assistant III or Administrative Assistant IV) who has mastered the foundational expertise required of their job and is able to instructing others.
One of many cohort programs that Tiffini Tasby, an administrative assistant III for the Faculty of Nursing, was intrigued by was on the subject of emotional intelligence. “I used to be aware about emotional intelligence already,” she stated. “One in every of my mentors is an teacher who teaches this course. What struck a chord with me was the in-person setting and being amongst different individuals and listening to their experiences and tales.”
Along with the three in-person basic and cohort classes, individuals are additionally required to finish a further eight programs (seminars, webinars, self-paced programs, and so on.) in accordance with their studying path and competency necessities.
Communication is likely one of the program’s key competencies. Coaching classes concentrate on easy methods to direct, foster, encourage, and facilitate open communication. “I actually favored the communication and enterprise etiquette course,” stated Nohealani Benicarlo, administrative assistant III for the Workplace of the Senior Vice President of Enterprise Affairs. “It gave us tips about our physique language and the way we talk.”
Useful resource administration, the accountable planning and administration of college sources, is one other competency. It focuses on Workday, procurement, finance, and pupil employment. “A lot of these programs must be on the forefront of this system for administrative assistants who’ve been within the discipline for a while, however could also be new to NSHE or UNLV,” stated Jenny Ross, administrative assistant III for the Greenspun Faculty of City Affairs Educational Advising Middle.
For Benicarlo, the in-person NSHE/monetary administrative assistant coaching was very useful. “It coated easy methods to use Workday, which I take advantage of principally for my job as an administrative assistant. The teacher stored us engaged by asking questions and guiding us by means of the workout routines.”
This system additionally provides programs that individuals can take at their very own tempo. “The online-based classes on Microsoft Excel had been helpful as a result of I take advantage of that program usually,” Ross stated. “I used to be capable of apply these discovered expertise instantly. They weren’t solely good refreshers, however I discovered plenty of new data.”
The Administrative Assistant Academy program couldn’t have been launched at a greater time as Human Assets lately launched UNLV Expertise Badges, a digital badging program for workers who full sure coaching applications, together with the Administrative Assistant Academy. Digital badges showcase a person’s information, expertise, and talents in a selected space of focus and could be shared throughout numerous on-line platforms resembling LinkedIn.
Purposes for the autumn 2023 cohort are actually open. Go to the Administrative Assistant Academy webpage or electronic mail learninganddevelopment@unlv.edu for extra data or to use.
