Welcome to ATX University!
Over the past year, I have traveled the country visiting colleges with my oldest child. During those visits, I have found myself reflecting on the role education plays in shaping both our lives and our careers.
Education comes in many forms and happens in many places including bucolic campuses, shop floors, offices, and job sites. The setting itself is less important than the opportunity provided and the openness to learn. As a business leader, it is imperative to create these opportunities which will the shape the future while encouraging employees to harness the power of curiosity.
At ATX, we take a fun and multi-pronged approach to learning and development. We call this - ATX University. We foster learning and development in a variety of settings including offsite training for the team at the University of New England, a local business partner. In addition to the classroom, our employees have access to an online catalog of courses, bi-weekly lunch and learns, conferences, peer-to-peer learning, and a knowledge base of industry resources. Like traditional students, those at ATX University have major and minor
areas of focus. Both are aimed at gaining a breadth of general consulting skills with requisite depth of industry knowledge and hard skills. Professors include industry-specific guest speakers along with ATX subject matter experts. The wide variety of topics and knowledge allows our team members to perfect their craft
Our focus on continuous improvement and lifelong learning benefits both our team and our clients. Our clients look for consultants with a breadth and depth of knowledge with appropriate skills to tackle difficult challenges. We further need to supplement this foundation with depth in areas of practice or industry specific knowledge. Our client teams are formed with this in mind - an understanding that no one individual may possess all of the skills and knowledge required but as a team, they will be stronger together.
It is important for our consultants to be engaged and excited about the work they are doing now and the work they will do in the future. The other day, I mentioned to the team about someday continuing their careers outside of ATX and the importance of learning as much as possible wherever you are. This was met with a bit of a gasp but it is also the truth. By fostering a culture of continuous learning I hope that our team members will be empowered to develop their skills wherever their curiosity takes them.
On a personal level, I have a long-standing dream of becoming a teacher or professor as a next step in my career. While my return to the college campus in the near term will be as a parent - I am exceedingly grateful for my current role as a teacher and student at ATX U.
Keep on learning!
