Encore!Hartford, a nonprofit leadership and job training program for seasoned corporate professionals launched last year by the University of Connecticut’s Center for Continuing Studies in conjunction with area nonprofit groups, has received a national Outstanding Program Award from the University Professional and Continuing Education Association.
The award honors one-credit and non-credit continuing education programs for outstanding design, achievement of educational objectives, contribution to the field and potential for national replication. The award is merit based and is not always given annually.
Representatives of the Encore!Hartford program received the award April 9 at The University Professional and Continuing Education Association’s 96th international conference in Toronto, Canada.
Encore!Hartford assists unemployed seasoned corporate professionals in transitioning their skill-sets and experience into successful professional and managerial employment in Connecticut’s nonprofit sector. The first class of 23 Encore Fellows graduated in June 2010. To date, 78 percent of the pilot class is now working as full- or part-time professionals. The second class of 24 Encore Fellows began their journey this month and will graduate on June 16, 2011.
The University Professional and Continuing Education Association has 400 institutional members from 13 countries. Members come from public and private accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities, international universities, and nonprofit organizations with a significant commitment to professional and continuing higher education.
Advocates for the Encore!Hartford pilot program said they were honored by the award and hope to continue the program’s success.
“We are sincerely interested in replicating the Encore!Hartford model in other regions of our state and country,” says David Garvey, director of UConn’s Nonprofit Leadership Program in the Center for Continuing Studies. “But, right now we remain focused on continuing to support our 2010 pilot class and preparing the new 2011 class of 24 Encore!Hartford Fellows for work in Connecticut’s nonprofit sector.
“We are pleased with our progress and success to-date, our healthy employment rate and strongly appreciate the support of our state partners,” Garvey continued. “Without our state partners none of this would be possible. “
Encore!Hartford was designed and implemented in partnership with Leadership Greater Hartford, Connecticut Department of Labor, Capital Workforce Partners (the North Central Connecticut Workforce Investment Board), CTWorks (the one-stop career guidance and training center in the state of Connecticut), the United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut, Connecticut Association of Nonprofits and more than 100 nonprofit partners. All aspects of Encore!Hartford take place in Greater Hartford nonprofits, including classroom training, to provide a deep immersion of the Fellows into the work environment of the nonprofit sector.
Encore!Hartford features four core components: deep immersion in the nonprofit sector; more than 44 hours of sector transition and skill-set education with seasoned nonprofit practitioners; discussions with nonprofit CEOs at each education site; job shadowing and networking development, and a two-month, full-time, high-level Encore Fellowship at a Connecticut nonprofit in the field and position of interest to the Encore Fellow. The Fellowship and full Encore!Hartford experience provides participants with valuable training in the field, networks and the skill-sets essential to be successful in their encore careers in the nonprofit sector.
For more information:
David Garvey, 860-486-2574
