Karl Storz Scopes Out Professional Development For Employees
KARL STORZ Endovision, Inc., in Charlton, Mass., a subsidiary of global manufacturer KARL STORZ SE & Co. KG, is looking inward – and to Nichols College – to advance the skills and training of its employees. Last year, the company began a partnership with the Graduate and Professional Studies (GPS) division to offer a business certificate program and, for some, fulfillment of a life-long dream.
“In my life, I never really had a lot of opportunities with education,” says Scott Manchester, assembly supervisor. “This opportunity really opened a door for me and made education accessible at an age where I feel like I’m ready for it, and it applies to what I am doing in terms of my work… This is a first step in making my dream come true of having a degree.”
“At KARL STORZ, we have a strong emphasis on growing and developing our employees to build skills and knowledge so they can be more qualified for upward mobility in the company,” says Human Resources Manager Jessica Barnes, of the company’s decision to run the program.
The Charleton facility, one of two KARL STORZ production locations in the United States, has a workforce of 628 employees, including production workers, engineers, technicians, finance, safety, human resources, supply chain, and quality assurance employees. A mix of 30 of them participated in the year-long 18-credit business certificate program, which featured online and onsite courses covering marketing, accounting, finance, microeconomics, leadership, and operations management. To customize the curriculum, Nichols incorporated live case studies and actual KARL STORZ projects.
In addition, participants who completed the certificate can apply their credits toward a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree at Nichols through the evening adult program.
“When they said Nichols College is coming to us, I wasn’t going to pass that up! The barrier was removed and made it so much easier to go to school,” says Joshua Abayah, QA inspector, who had once tried to earn a college degree but had to defer it due to the demands of balancing family and work life.
He believes that providing this benefit speaks highly of the KARL STORZ culture. “This project is a huge example of their core values, which includes employee education and training,” he notes. “They spend a lot of money to train and give employees resources like this…. They prove their values by giving us this course.”
Margarita Navarro, executive assistant to the president and event coordinator, agrees. “The fact that the company allows us to continue our professional career while working is absolutely a benefit that you don’t see much out there,” she says. “There are no words to describe the happiness, the pride, of working here at such an organization that cares not only about hitting financial goals but also helping their employees. It’s a great place to be.”
According to Barnes, the investment has been well worth it, as employees continue to build knowledge, skills, and abilities through the Nichols College business program. “Nichols has been gracious to partner with us to ensure each class ties learning back to the work being done at KARL STORZ,” she says. “This helps employees enhance their learning by understanding how it impacts them in their day-to-day work. Those in this program are building skills that help them be more effective in their current position and more qualified for future positions at KARL STORZ.”
Team Lead Vera Osei sees mutual benefits for the program, for work and beyond. “It is an advantage to the employees and gives many people access to education that they may not have had,” she says. “It is also an advantage for the business. Your employees are learning how to be better managers and workers. I also found that the classes helped my personal life. I’ve learned how to better manage my time, finances, and my home. The education impacts every area in your life.”
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