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* Corporati By College Pratt Service Students at McDonald's Hamburger University in Oak Brook. Ill livt* in McLodges and earn degrees in Hainburgerology. But they also work with state-of-the-art technology, ^ endure rigorous training in management, communications and business skiils, and can earn up to 18 credits toward a food service management associates degree. And slowly but surely, cor i'uiaii. mciiuuin iikc Hamburger U. arc becoming more and more like colleges, said a recent report on how much companies spend to re\ educate college grads. MCDONALD'S IS one of 400 corporations spending millions each year on employee education programs to fill in the gaps left by traditional education, and provide specialized training for specific jobs. "The typical college graudatc has accrued a degree and a good academic education," said Donald ^ Conover, spokesman for AT & T's Corporate Education Center in Newjersey. But students "need a transition from a broad college base to the more specific applications necessary to do a job." Corporate courses range from high school basics to specialized operations training, and students include dropouts and PhDs. "The age of high-tech has moved in rapidly," said Nell m # js" "^'S iS ^ Lauderda Jwyyyyyw ions like I "The age of high-tec ly. It's necessary to e vanced information, to tion constantly." liurich, author of the recent Carncsic Institute studv of corporate classrooms. "It's necessary to educate workers in advanced information, to give additional instruction constantly." IT'S AN extension of the life-long learning concept," said Jim Pavlakis, developer of Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone's corporate education program. "Even if schools are doing a beautiful job, employees need opportunities to avoid job obsolescence." $ Nearly 8,000 of C & T's 30,000 employees currently use on of three corporate education plans: in-house or home study courses in specific job training and basic education, or tuition aid, providing access to all schools in the area. "In 1969, it became a huge program attempting to provide basic skill education to help employees qualify for better jobs," he said. "Then affirmative action pressure convinced us to offer nontraditional job training." 61 Jr Art Clok * will b Thursday, Ballroom students / I e last week to sig le Spring Break T Celebration of Big titA SSSSSSSSS McDonald :h has moved in rapidducate workers in adgive additional instruc? Nell Eurich study's author AT & T BEGAN corporate education in 1895, "ac wiviuiiu^ nit v.v.Miv.t|n at about the same rate as k nowledge accelerated,'' Conover said. Many are stressing basicskills courses more and more, Carnegie's Eurich said. "It's a question of getting basic skills," she said. "Corporations are doing a lot of work in basic instruction, in reading, writing, math, effective listening and speaking." POLAROID'S 30-YEAROLD program stresses icuuiiig, wining, grammcr, career planning and counseling, in addition to management; and high-tech courses, said public relations spokeswoman Maria Wilhelm. Almost 2,500 students per semester fill more than 100 courses, most taught by Polaroid employees, she said. Corporate education's influence on traditional higher education is mushrooming as quickly as the phenomenon itself, said Sylvia Galloway, spokeswoman for American ATTENTION MEDIA ARTS MAJORS and DfMBY LOVERS: ;y and Gumby e here Feb. 28 8 pm 3 general public n up for Free Unh rips ? RH Lobby ick History Monti Black Hi with the s< Friday $2 stuc 's teach s Council on Education (ACE). Last year, ACE performed accreditation evaluations for almost 150 corporate education programs, she said, and many "look comparable to programs offered in traditional college settings." "IT'S NO reflection on higher education," AT & T's Conover said "Universities provide the fundamentals, foundation and advanced work in a field at a theoretical level." The corporations move "theory into practice, focusing on applications in the context of a particular corporation," he said. "University training is thorough and general," said McDonad's Tcrri Capatosto. "But universities usually educate more to arts and general information. We focus on more specific food service and people skills." Colleges feel the corporate squeeze as more programs seek accreditations, more professors and professionals cross over to teach and do research, and as business giants like Rand and Wang open degree-granting institutions. "But colleges understand our needs and are trying to do something aoout them Pavlakis said. Corporations need to use both theoretical and practical education, AT & T's Conover said. "We're working with universities for a productive relationship." SSSSSSB? USC Cultural S Nort link.! "A dynamic superbly trained group that combines fire j with lyricism, precision wit ? ATLANTA CONST North Carolina Dane* Tltrafrr It a p North Carolina Sclu i/ersity classes / B h, Contemporary story Jan iunds of OPUS 8 O m A Uh ^ i O JJ.III. I lit? VJM ients / $3 gener SS Carolina pecialized classes [Colleges too technical, I Carnegie study claims By Colleg# Pre*? Service > - Big business wishes higher education would get back to basics and leave specialization to the corporate classroom, a Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching study says. While most admit they're generally happy with their employees' educations, corporations spend up to $100 billion a year to educate workers, partly because colleges cnpnH tr\r% lit! Is* 1ima tnanKmn <i??>v viiiiv ivMviung wuiiuuuiuwauuJi auu [;iuuiCiir solving skills, the study says. "Higher education is abandoning its own mission and prupose," said Carnegie Foundation communications director Bob Hochstein. "It's attempting to imitate and rival corporate education when liberal learning is the core of what higher education should be about," he said. Corporate education has existed for decadcs to update employee technical skills, but company programs ae "big and getting bigger" with the spread of high technology, Hochstein said. Big business now educates millions of workers a year in courses ranging from remedial reading to nuclear physics, according to study author Nell Eurich. As a result, corporate schools must broaden their cur ricula to include math, reading and communication, basic skills that should be taught in college, she said. "Corporate education has .become a matter of teaching basic skills as well as narrow specialization,'4 Eurich said. "These studies shouldn't have to be duplicated in corporate classrooms. Especially not for college graduates," "There does appear to be a need for this kind of training/' said Sylvia Galloway, spokeswoman for the American Council on Education. "Many (corporate) programs look comparable to what's offered in a traditional college setting with lots of training in the basics," she said. Corporations like Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone, American Sterilizer, Westinghouse, General Motors and AT&T offer employee educational opportunities rivalling traditional colleges, Gailoway said, and many offer accredited courses and degree programs. eries presents ![? hCaidinaUianceTheater n is coming. g, 'jK rt Lindgren, Director H^b"h irnfrulnnal Affiliate of the B^^Jj ermuda & Ft. J 5-^m inrlQ nrocontc W w ? IV^W ^/l V-/ wv/ I ll\J ^ ^ 1 t & control !;!;! Dlden Spur J?JsJ al public ! !!