Lakes Region Community Services and Lakes Region Community College Partner to Support Professional Development

The inaugural graduating class of the Professional Skills Workforce Development Program.

Lakes Region Community Services (LRCS) and Lakes Region Community College (LRCC) are pleased to announce the first graduates of the Professional Skills Workforce Development Program. The six-week program, led by LRCC Human Services instructor Sara Dupont, LISCW, focused on professional workplace skills necessary for effective work in the human services industry.

With a blend of in-person instruction and online assignments via the LRCC Learning Management System (LMS), the course covered a range of topics such as DISC assessments, negative and positive conflict, understanding implications of symptoms in autism spectrum disorder and developmental disabilities and how to adjust approach, and developing an effective team. Each topic was explored in-depth, with students applying the lessons to situations they encounter in their professional work.

“It was important that we developed a program that highlighted communication styles and approaches when working with peers as well as with individuals with developmental disabilities, acquired brain injuries and autism spectrum disorder,” said Rebecca Bryant, President & CEO of LRCS. “Strong leadership exists in every position throughout our Agency, and as one of the largest employers in the Lakes Region we recognize it is critical to invest in our future. Providing strong professional development opportunities and advancing the skillset of our employees is vital to our values and allows us to better serve our community of individuals and families. This is an opportunity for our employees we look forward to offering annually.”

“The work that our employees, especially our Direct Support Professionals, do day to day is challenging but incredibly rewarding. The participants in this first cohort are committed to improving the engagement and retention of our workforce, as well as ensuring we provide quality services, and we are proud of their dedication,” noted Joleen Welford, VP of Human Resources for LRCS.