Earlier this month (April), Town staff members attended a special presentation at the NSCC Amherst Community Learning Centre. This was, in fact, a follow-up visit, having first met with the second-year Business Administration students at Town Hall when they came in to hear about operations management and procurement processes at the Town of Amherst.
"We hosted the Business Admin class in January after their instructor Lisa Gower reached out," said Jason MacDonald, CAO for the Town of Amherst. "During our presentation to the students I referenced the Town's strategic plan several times, and that's when Lisa asked if she could use our plan as a key component for the work in the Strategic Decision-making class."
Real-life experiences are a central part of the 4000-level capstone course, heavily-focused on research and analysis. These tangible experiences help students learn what it's like to make decisions that impact businesses and communities.
"This project was 35% of the total mark for the course, so it's heavy," said Lisa Gower, a faculty member in NSCC's Department of Business and Creative Industries. "When we do this course, we could study Costco again, Wal-Mart again; we did Airbnb. But when we choose the town we live in and real strategy and real recommendations, it elevates the program."
Town of Amherst staff members recently attended NSCC Business Administration students' presentation of findings, after analyzing the Town's strategic plan as part of their Strategic Decision-Making class.
Over the last few months, the students assembled and analyzed information from the Town of Amherst and several other similar towns - Truro, Bridgewater, and Yarmouth - to compare our strategic plan to their documents, and develop a set of findings and recommendations.
The class's report went through several iterations before producing the final version, which was divided into sections so that each student could help with presenting to Town staff.
"It was a very iterative process - a lot of expectations, a lot of hands involved - but that's the caliber you want," said Gower. "I want them to graduate industry-ready, or go to university ready for third year - because our two plus two' means they've got the first two years of university done. We do push hard, sometimes harder than they like, but they rise."
All of the research and analysis culminated in the development of four key recommendations: increasing citizen engagement and input; implementing public transportation; providing greater detail for and access to the Town's strategic plan; and, increasing engagement with youth.
Each recommendation was accompanied by several strategies to help achieve these goals. One particular tool the Town will explore is using a video booth at community events to help gather feedback. This approach will also be a good way to increase youth participation. Our website will be updated so that information is more easily accessible, and a transit study is currently underway as part of our comprehensive mobility strategy.
Sincere thanks to Lisa Gower for involving the Town in this project. And, to each of the second-year Business Administration students, we appreciate all of your hard work and the dedication that went into our strategic plan's analysis; we are certain your report will be put to good use. All the very best as you transition into your work terms and onward in your academic and professional careers.
