RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CA—Starting a learning academy was the answer to training for Park West, where employees are taught how to manage the reality of a changing business environment better and how to improve the client experience, Bryan Schneider, director of academic development for the firm, tells GlobeSt.com. The firm, a leading provider of landscape-construction, landscape-management and tree care services, recently created the Park West Learning Academy to provide a range of training programs for its employees.

At the academy's opening in May, Park West CEO Jim Tracy said to attendees, “As an organization, we have set aggressive goals for growth in the coming years. For us to reach them, we will need each and every one of you to be your best. This academy will be the place where we come together in our common cause to grow as professionals and as people. The opening of our academy is a defining moment and a milestone in the evolution of our organization and culture.”

As part of its commitment to creating an industry-leading learning program, Park West has partnered with highly regarded industry veteran and training expert Parke Kallenberg to assist in the development and delivery of courses. After facilitating the opening week of courses, Kallenberg said, “Park West has an intense focus on employees improving their skills and knowledge. The leadership knows that the Learning Academy will empower employees to reach their potential, strengthening their team and improving service for their clients.”

Courses delivered during the academy's first week included participants from all divisions, ranging from field personnel to executives. Going forward, the academy will focus on programs geared toward role-specific certification and advancement, but will also offer many opportunities for employees to satisfy various continuing education requirements. Future course development will include leadership, technology, language, professional skills and safety, among many others.

GlobeSt.com spoke with Schneider about the importance of employee-training programs like this one and whether they will become more prevalent in the workforce.

GlobeSt.com: Why are employee training programs like yours especially important in today's CRE environment?

Schneider: As regulations, technology and many other factors change the way business is conducted, CRE professionals must be able to rely upon their vendor partners to meet the challenge of adapting to these changes and, in some cases, even educate the CRE professional in the process. Our Learning Academy is where we develop our people to better manage this reality and improve the client experience.

GlobeSt.com: How are your firm's courses developed for success?

Schneider: We start by soliciting feedback from our clients and our people regarding our training needs, which helps us develop courses that are relevant and impactful. Once we've decided to develop a course, we seek out subject matter experts, both internal and external, to provide us with the course content. To ensure the best learning outcomes, we partner with training experts to incorporate the training methodologies recognized as essential to adult learning into our courses.

GlobeSt.com: Do you expect to see more learning academies emerge with so many millennials in the workforce?

Schneider: Millennials, like any new generation in the workforce, can benefit greatly from learning about the experiences of their veteran colleagues. One of the great components of the learning-academy model is that participants are able to interact with their colleagues and share these experiences as part of the learning experience. For that reason, the learning academy model will continue to be attractive to organizations, even as content changes and new generations enter the work force.

Instant Insights /

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