ENHANCING MICROSOFT EXCEL SKILLS THROUGH UNIVERSITY-CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS.

AuthorPodeschi, R.J.

INTRODUCTION

Higher education institutions today are facing increased pressure to maintain enrollments and increase revenue amidst tightening budgets and decreased state and federal funding. Colleges and universities, in order to maintain their existence, are reaching to their entrepreneurial playbook to generate new sources of revenue to fund projects. As such, schools are looking to local business partners to provide educational services. Community colleges, in particular, have been at the forefront of this movement by meeting workforce demands by developing tailored programs for specific industries (Maliszewski, Nespoli, & Rosa, 2013). However, these programs are typically offered either online or on site at a community college and are often commoditized. Conversely, businesses are under pressure to deliver results and may not have the time or resources to dedicate internal training staff to upgrading the skills of its business unit.

Since 2014, a Midwestern university has partnered with one of the community's largest employers to build on site, customized training programs to upgrade the technical skills of its workforce. Through working with campus and business leadership, the partnership has generated additional revenue for the business school and, as of June 2016, effectively trained over 100 employees in the shared services department of this global company.

This study first discusses the importance of Microsoft Excel in the business world and previous research on corporate university (CU) frameworks. Additionally, the design of customized Excel training courses for a Fortune 50 company is discussed and concludes with results from survey data taken before and after the customized training sessions were delivered. This work is important to organizations designing programs to upgrade the technical skills of the workforce. In addition, the study underscores the importance of partnering with higher education institutions to leverage expertise to discipline experts within academia.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Microsoft Excel

Ever since Dan Bricklin conceived the idea of a computerized spreadsheet in the late 1970s, corporations have been transformed in the way that they can dynamically calculate totals, simulate what-if scenarios, and generate dazzling charts (Goldstein, 2015). With an estimated user base of over 500 million individuals (Microsoft, 2012), Microsoft Excel is considered to be the most popular spreadsheet software title in use within organizations and is consequently taught in the majority of business school curricula (McCloskey & Bussom, 2011). Large corporations and small businesses rely on Excel for a variety of tasks including, but not limited to budgeting, forecasting, organizing, analyzing, and exploring data. With the increased use of enterprise and web-based systems, Excel is becoming a useful tool for storing and manipulating data retrieved from these systems (Scaffidi et. al, 2007).

However, in a workforce comprised of entry-level staff workers responsible for data entry, invoice processing, and bookkeeping tasks, degrees at the bachelor's or associate's level are not necessarily required. As a result, these key employees may not be formally exposed to Microsoft Excel when joining the workforce. When employers from the financial industry were surveyed regarding Microsoft Excel training for entry-level staff straight from college, 92% said new hires would receive "on-the-job" training from their colleagues or supervisors (Kyng, Tickle, & Wood, 2013). Despite the assumption that the millennial generation is "tech-savvy" by their innate ability to use social media and text, this group of individuals haven't had to use spreadsheets or work with data extensively (White, 2015).

However, employers are now seeking individuals who can already work with data and information while having the technical acumen to complete these tasks with computer programs. In a 2015 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), quantitative/analytical skills along with technical and computer skills were among the top 15 sought after attributes for job candidates in 2016 (National Association of Colleges and Employers, 2015), as seen above in Table 1. For skills employees may lack through a formal education necessary for entry-level positions, how can the Microsoft Excel skills gap be closed effectively?

Corporate Universities

Corporate universities (CU) support organizational objectives through building and developing specific skills through formal learning (Rademakers, 2005). The notion of building CUs began in the 1980s when approximately 400 businesses had contracted with colleges to train their employees (Nash et. al., 1987). The original impetus was to meet the changing needs of businesses as the economy became more global and competition more intense (Cantor, 2000). CUs provide a "win-win" for both the business and the university. Aronowitz (1998) observed that private colleges, in particular, were facing changing demographics of matriculating students coupled with increased budget pressure. Developing educational curricula tailored to area business partners provided an additional source of revenue and increased community visibility while the workforce was being educated to help support the strategic business objectives.

Meister (2003. P 52) asserted that "the days when corporations passively fund tuition-assistance programs are coming to an end" and that businesses are now "managing education through strategic partnerships with universities" to meet their training needs. Consequently, employers were looking for creative ways to integrate learning into the workplace. As such, many are experimenting with different formats, making it more personal and social to create a more engaging and collaborative learning experience. These models are appealing across all generations and are aiding in retaining talent as well (Meister & Willyerd, 2010).

While hiring internal staff dedicated to training or assigning the task as part of someone's existing job duties, utilizing a CU model partnered with a university alliance can leverage the expertise in theory and curriculum development and potentially evolve into certificate and degree programs. Meister (2003) provided 10 necessary steps for developing a corporate university as presented in table 2.

These steps include crafting a vision with the right oversight, proper funding, determining the particular needs, selecting the learning partners, utilizing the right technology, measuring the outcomes, and proper communication. These steps have evolved over time to include key features such as: aligning the company's strategic objectives to learning goals, integrating company examples and assignments into learning, designing a schedule that fits the business calendar, and using the corporation's campus to deliver on-site programs (Meister, 2003).

Research Questions

Based on the importance of and reliance upon Microsoft Excel in the workplace as a tool for formatting, modeling, and calculating data, can a corporate university framework, in partnership with higher education, be effective in its design and outcomes? Furthermore, will participants have an increased level of confidence in Microsoft Excel following the training course?

COURSE DESIGN

The University's business school was initially contacted by leadership from the shared services department of a Fortune 50 company. The shared services department handles all of the invoices, payables, and expense reports for this global agricultural products company among the 2016 Fortune 50 list (Largest U.S. Corporations, 2016). The shared services department employs approximately 120 staff who are typically engaged in processing invoices through their enterprise resource planning system (ERP). Many of the staff do not have college degrees, nor have they had formal coursework in computing or spreadsheet software.

However, the need for data and analysis has increased...

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