As the education system continues to adapt and implement new strategies, UA Little Rock has unveiled a new six-week Supervisor/Management Certificate Program. The program, taught by UA Little Rock School of Business faculty members, is designed for seasoned supervisors, managers and HR professionals who want to enhance their management skills and learn how to lead more effectively.
“The certificate is an opportunity for organizations to enroll a small number of participants in a series of workshops that strengthen the knowledge and skills needed for the successful performance of a management role,” said Dr. Otmar Varela, associate professor of managing, marketing and technology. “Over the last two years, the UA-Little Rock’s Leadership Academy has delivered content in an in-company format exclusively.”
The workshop topics range from navigating difficult conversations at work to how to manage people effectively. Participants who complete the program will be given one credit hour towards UA Little Rock’s MBA program.
Varela calls this an “invitation to explore longer academic alternatives as a graduate certificate or an entire MBA degree.” He said the university listens to questions about the next steps from those who have completed the school’s in-company programs and that this certificate was designed “as a micro-credential susceptible to be stacked with other upcoming certificates.”
Otmar Varela — Photo by BENJAMIN KRAIN
He said the university typically serves organizations that have the size to assemble their own cohorts but that they were lacking a program for smaller organizations that may wish to enroll a single or a small number of individuals.
The open-access program is scheduled to start in early 2025, with several organizations already showing interest and committing to enrolling employees. It caters to individuals who already have years of experience in leadership roles but believe that everyone can strengthen their skills and develop themselves for the betterment of their company and team.
The courses are delivered once every four weeks during afternoon hours and are intentionally spaced to create the flexibility participants need and to facilitate the transfer of knowledge to the organization.
The first section begins with a big picture of management before getting into the nitty gritty interactions of leadership. The remainder of the course deals with ordinary but essential tasks in the daily grind.
“Experience provides solid grounds to perform a focal organizational role,” Varela said. “Our training is not a substitute but a complement to such experience. We equip participants with the most updated science-based practices that can validate —or challenge — the practices learned from years of experience. Our promise to participants is that they will end up with a more generalizable knowledge.”
Six instructors were carefully selected for the program with high degrees of specialization in their field, according to Varela.
“We looked for instructors that thoroughly understand what they share, not only because they possess a specific doctorate degree, but primarily because of their industry experience,” Varela said. “Our instructors have been in the trenches, so to speak, and they can relate to the daily working life of participants.”
Varela said the content is made more understandable by applying pre-assessments to participants. The individuals can look at common practices in leadership and identify opportunities to reconsider specific behaviors. At the end of the program, the cohort reviews what they learned and what steps they should take next in their various work environments.
The program was given an accessible price, according to Varela, with the training being eligible for a 50% reimbursement via Office of Skills Development (OSD) grants.
“Our training offers a benchmark, or some sort of map, to understand our own management styles and at the same time to be aware of other styles that can increase the effectiveness of practices across positions and industries,” Varela said.
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