Miami University once again proves itself to be a valuable member of the Butler County community, this time through its creation of the Corporate and Community Institute.

Most recently, the university has developed educational facilities in downtown Middletown and downtown Hamilton. These sites have expanded opportunities for students and local residents, not only for education, but also for entertainment and other cultural events.

Now, with the addition of the Institute, Miami is making a regionwide effort to help solve the training needs of individuals and area organizations. The Institute also will help merge the university's continuing education programs, now based on the Middletown and Hamilton campuses, with the future expansion of the Voice of America Learning Center, scheduled to open in January 2009.

To head the new Institute, Patricia L. McNab has been named senior director. McNab joined Miami Middletown in 2001 as program manager in the Office of Continuing Education and the Business and Industry Center, according to information provided by the university.

The idea behind the Corporate and Community Institute is to offer training customized to the needs of the individual client, whether that client is a student or an organization seeking trained and skilled employees ready to join the work force.

We believe this is an idea whose time has come.

"Today, competitive advantage depends most critically on the skills of the workforce," according to McNab. "As the work force is changing, so is the way employees are being trained."

The Institute was designed to help our local employers by offering programs that focus on executive coaching, organizational development, quality and safety management, technology, human resource planning, job profiling and customer service, among other continuing education programs. For individuals, the Institute will provide non-credit courses in professional development, computer technology, personal enrichment, online learning, fitness, and summer youth programs.

To make all this comprehensive programming work, Miami officials say the Institute will be able to call upon experienced work force development experts who know how to help organizations and businesses define their real needs and to quickly and efficiently fulfill those needs.

Considering the current economic and business climate in Butler County and the need of area businesses to find and retain skilled workers or leave our cities and townships for greener pastures — those places where skilled workers already reside — Miami University's Corporate and Community Institute is a timely and welcome addition to the resources we need if we're going to move forward and thrive in this century.