A Unique Workforce Partnership Forging Change Across the Northeast Since 1995

Program Description

The Next Step Program is a ground-breaking, workforce education program that offers bargained-for Bell Atlantic (now Verizon) employees in New York and New England the opportunity to earn an Associate Degree in Applied Science (A.A.S.), with a special focus on Telecommunications Technology, completely at Verizon expense. The Telecommunications Technology A.A.S. program was negotiated in 1994 by Verizon and the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in New York and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) in New England. It was developed by a consortium of colleges in cooperation with Verizon managers and the unions.

Following a competitive process, Verizon and the CWA, in November, 1994, selected Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC) in Troy, NY to serve as lead college to launch this unique educational initiative in New York. Shortly thereafter, in July 1995, Verizon and the IBEW selected Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) in Springfield, MA as the lead college for the New England region. HVCC established a consortium of State University of New York (SUNY), City University of New York (CUNY) and private two-and four-year partner colleges in New York, and STCC created a coalition of public two-year partner colleges in the 5 New England states served by Verizon. The two Lead Colleges are responsible for the Program’s operation and administration, with instruction offered by 10 colleges at 12 sites in New England and at 15 colleges at 16 sites in New York. Both lead colleges and the Partner Colleges have worked together and with Verizon, IBEW, CWA, and students enrolled in the program to create a common curriculum that is consistent across the entire Verizon footprint in New York and New England.

Employees must complete 60 credits, equally divided among Liberal Arts and Sciences, Electrical/Electronics, and Telecommunications. They attend class one day a week for eight semesters over a four-year period. The Program is particularly concerned with methodology and Verizon has committed significant fiscal resources to ensure that the degree is competency based, learner centered, and contextually focused. The curriculum incorporates corporate-identified Umbrella Competencies in critical thinking, problem solving, team building, customer focus, and quality improvement, in addition to those usually associated with a technical degree.

The Next Step Program is a true partnership, as evidenced by the diverse coalition of participating colleges throughout the region. Collaboration is exemplified by the close interaction among Verizon personnel (both management and union) assigned to the Program, STCC and HVCC program personnel, and Partner College representatives. Beyond frequent informal contact, at least twice a year these groups meet to discuss Program operation and resolve outstanding issues. Faculty curriculum committees, with representation drawn from New England and New York Partner Colleges, meet periodically through the year to develop and continually refine the curricula. In addition, the corporation sponsors annual multi-day Faculty Institutes which bring together the New England and New York faculties to resolve curriculum matters and to participate in professional development activities to enhance disciplinary knowledge and instructional methodology.

Other distinguishing Program features include: a common syllabus and common principal text(s) for each course; and a virtual learning environment, with students and faculty networked on notebook computers through Lotus Notes and/or internet email. This environment, which is a critical component of each course, ensures that extensive learning activity occurs between class days through assignments and student and faculty communication.

The Next Step Program is a replicable model. It is a cutting edge example of a corporation and two of its major unions responding to the challenge of preparing employees for increasingly complex technologies, thus ensuring the corporation’s role as a leader in the information age. While the curriculum content of the model would be determined by the needs of the particular organization, the development, delivery, and support of course work and administration as presented in the Next Step Program could be readily duplicated. Major factors to ensure the success of any model are the same as those for the Next Step Program itself. These include a committed corporation and an interested workforce; college faculty and administrators receptive to challenge and change and to alternate methods of instruction; and, above all, a willingness to adapt and adjust to unforeseen problems.

Verizon’s fiscal support for the Program is broad based and includes tuition, fees, and textbooks; notebook computers, course software (for example, Microsoft Office, MathCad, and Electronics Workbench), and calculators for students and faculty; and semester stipends to Partner Colleges for administration and curriculum development. The Next Step Program was initiated by Verizon to gain a competitive edge in the rapidly growing telecommunications market. Keys to the success of the Program have been the careful selection of colleges with experience teaching adults, and the involvement of the unions as full partners.

Program Structure
Employees enrolled in Next Step attend classes one day a week on company time at selected community colleges and technical colleges in New York and New England. The Next Step Program takes four years of study to complete, and includes courses in three major areas: general education, electronics, and telecommunications. It is an innovative, state-of-the-art, competency-based educational program that allows employees to keep pace with advancing technology, understand changing marketplace realities, and enhance customer service skills. Next Step participants receive a new job title and a corresponding increase in pay.

A Virtual Learning Organization
Each Next Step student and faculty member is given a laptop computer to use while they are in the Program. Curricula are designed to incorporate applications which enhance instruction, such as Electronic WorkBench and MathCAD.  Participants also use a Program email system to communicate among themselves, thereby creating a "virtual campus."

Eligibility
Employee applicants must be regular, full-time Verizon employees in New York or New England and members of either the CWA or the IBEW. They must also have a high school diploma (or a GED) and two years of high school math that include algebra. All employees entering the Program must meet the basic qualifications for the job duties assigned, and must pass an entrance exam that measures basic skills in reading, writing, numerical reasoning, and elementary algebra. Final selection is based on seniority and the number of Program openings.