On October 17, 2020, Drs. Edward Fubara and Mike Seibert presented their paper on Corporate Universities in a Blue Collar Context at the Canadian Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (CCSBE) VIRTUAL conference in Toronto. The paper presented a model for how colleges, universities and small business development centers can assist small to medium sized businesses and organizations with their strategic training and development needs using a corporate university framework.
For the past seven years, Fubara and Seibert and a number of other Campbell faculty have presented webinars on a variety of soft skills to a local merchandising firm with a national footprint. Webinar topics have included leadership, communication, teamwork, coaching, emotional intelligence, cultural competence and more. The management and employees of the company have expressed their appreciation for the content and have affirmed that the sessions have helped to clarify and reinforce the firm’s core values, strengthen both rational and emotional commitment of the workforce, and they have served as a source of distinctive competitive advantage. Over this time period the firm has grown by approximately 700% and has expanded into a group of companies in related industries.
Fubara and Seibert presented their experience to over 60 attendees from across Canada, the United States and other parts of the world. They hope that it will serve as a model for other colleges and universities as they seek to serve their communities and provide opportunities for students.