Often behind the smooth operation of any workplace is that office professional who keeps everything running flawlessly. Fox Valley Technical College now offers two new programs that prepare students to be that office leader.
The Office Coordinator and Office Management programs are designed to meet growing workforce demand across all industries, from healthcare to manufacturing.
Recently, Business Technology chair Jenner Reinke joined WHBY’s Focus on Careers to talk more about the programs. Jenner explains the difference in focus for each one, what types of jobs graduates get, and how both programs prepare students for a position that many call the backbone of the office.
Tap the video to listen to the interview or scroll down to read the transcript.
Tenpas: Our Focus on Careers with Fox Valley Technical College looks to highlight careers of promise in our community and help you understand a bit better some of the programs that are offered at Fox Valley Tech. Today we are going to dig into business technology, but more, much more niche than that — office coordinator and office management programs at Fox Valley Tech. We have Jenner Reinke with us today, instructor and department chair of Business technology with us in studio. Jenner. Good afternoon.
Reinke: Good afternoon. Thanks for having me.
Tenpas: We were just talking a little bit. I said the positions you are training students for are so thought of as I think the heartbeat of so many offices. So as you’re listening today, think of that person in your office, that is that office coordinator or manager that just is that heartbeat.
Reinke: I love that, that is exactly a great way to think of it. And that’s what we focus on when we are training these individuals.
Tenpas: Well, how did you get to Fox Valley Tech? Jenner. I’m curious about that too.
Reinke: So I started at the college 13 years ago and I kind of have a unique background. I have a lot of event planning. I helped in a construction company and I just wanted to teach. I thought that would be great. So I started I was about 13 years ago on the Oshkosh campus. I’ve been 11 as the department chair. And the cool thing is, it’s the best of both worlds. I get to spend time in the classroom where I get to work with students, encourage them and help them achieve their goals. But then I also manage the program. There’s a lot of innovation there… and where are we going with this? What’s next? What are our industry trends?
Tenpas: I love that, and we’ll dig into some of those during the segment today. But we do want to highlight two of your newer programs at Fox Valley Tech. I’m sure there’s a lot that is involved in business technology. Today we’re going to narrow in on office coordinator and office management. And from what I understand, these were added because of demand out in our community. So what makes these so important and crucial and critical to our workforce?
Reinke: So Covid obviously was a big shift in industry. Everybody felt it. Things really changed. Technology, really advanced things, especially going digital. So we knew we had to do something more. Um, office coordinator is the — think of that person that’s running the office, the day to day tasks, very task driven. Maybe a little accounting. And then the office manager, like you said earlier, is that heartbeat, but they’re the one that’s leading the office. And we’re seeing that in every industry. Even how we are calling these jobs are different today, and we really are focusing on a little accounting, a little HR and a ton of leadership as we move forward.
Tenpas: I think it’s one of those positions that if that person goes away on vacation or takes an extended leave, you start to look around and go, oh, they were doing all those things. Those secret little tasks, those quiet tasks that are, again, critical to the flow of the office that we don’t even realize are handled for us.
Reinke: Yeah. And a lot of that comes in data form too, right? So when you think of, making informed decisions, well, how do we do that? And it’s your office manager that puts that together and you don’t even realize it because they kind of just slide it in for you to be able to make decisions, to critically think through a project, you name it, they are part of it.
Tenpas: Let’s talk about the differences between the programs though. Um, office coordinator is a technical diploma. Correct? Office management is an associate degree. So how do you help a student decide between the two and which path might be better?
Reinke: So office coordinator, you want to think about that short term student that really says, I need to get into the workforce today, and we will try our best to help them achieve those goals. They’re really that task person, they’re doing a lot of the day to day tasks where office management is that leadership supervision. They maybe want a little bit more, they want to advance their career just a little bit further. Both are the backbone of any organization and you’re going to find them in any organization. I mean, K-12 healthcare, manufacturing, you’re going to find some form of an office coordinator and an office manager.
Tenpas: You mentioned, moving into a job quick. So I’m curious which jobs graduates are typically moving into. Do you have any examples of different roles that might fit well with these programs?
Reinke: I do… I think of the office coordinator as like an administrative assistant or receptionist, that front line person that maybe greets your customers. Administrative clerk and administrative support specialist, those types of titles. Your office manager could be an executive assistant. Uh, it could be an administrative manager, a project manager could be a business operation. We are seeing that operations term used a lot. We’re using it in three different courses in the program. Um, an office administrator would be another title.
Tenpas: Okay, we’ll pause here. But when we come back, we’ll highlight even more of these programs. Uh, which students might be suited best for it and also how you can learn in these programs as well. There is some flexibility that’s allowed here. So we’ll take a break and share more. After this.
Focus on Careers. Today, learning more about the roles of office coordinator and office management with Fox Valley Technical College. Jenner Rinke is with us, instructor and Department chair of Business Technology, which these programs fall under and how are our students learning? Jenner, let’s talk about the flexibility that is considered so much at Fox Valley Tech. How are you accommodating students in this program?
Reinke: The program is offered in person day classes, usually morning, to help moms that want to come back to school. We also offer everything online, which really helps students. And as far as credit load, students can take one class at a time. They can take a full load. We are there to support them, help them and navigate that journey.
Tenpas: Excellent. I do see a couple of, um, skill sets that work well in this program as well. Strong communication and organization, but also knowledge of technology and those skill sets. And we know that technology of course is ever evolving. Things are changing so fast. So how do you help students kind of stay up to date? How does the curriculum also stay up to date in that ever-evolving technology? Obviously, AI has entered the chat, right? So how are we how are we working through that?
Reinke: Uh, we are bringing AI into multiple of our courses because it is very important for students to know how to navigate it. But most importantly for us, it is important for us to stay current. That way we help our students stay current. We do that multiple ways. We work with businesses. We have an advisory committee of employers that are phenomenal. They keep us current and they keep pushing us, which we absolutely love. We also host an administrative professional conference every year. This year is our ninth year, which will be on April 21st at the campus at the Appleton campus. Um, so that’s how we stay current. Microsoft helps us stay current as well because they are forever changing. And I think I’m lucky because my team has that inquisitive mindset where they want to learn, they want to grow, they want to stay current. And I think that helps.
Tenpas: Who do you think student wise, who is best suited? What qualities do students have?
Reinke: You know, I think it’s anybody, anybody that wants to work in an office. Don’t be afraid of technology. If that’s one of your roadblocks, we are there to help you. We will guide you through that and make that maybe not so uncomfortable. It’s really anybody that wants to, you know, do day to day tasks, wants to be in a leadership role, maybe a little supervisory. Um, if you want to be in a small business, a large business. This is a great program to get your feet wet and get started and really start into any industry.
Tenpas: Do you find any misconceptions about the work that you teach? And even I guess with local employers, what do you what do you hear? What’s the scuttlebutt out there?
Reinke: I think the hardest thing is people think you’re a secretary. Well, that role no longer exists today. The role is so much more. Students are required to manage projects. They work with numerous pieces of software. They must stay current on that software. Sometimes they’re teaching other people within their office how to use Microsoft Word, Excel, and all those great things. Um, there’s just so much to it and every day looks different.
Tenpas: You have an event coming up and tell us about the event, who it’s open to. And it’s kind of a conference of sorts.
Reinke: It is. It’s our ninth year. Um, It is a great day filled with learning, uh, motivation, inspiration. There’s some relaxation. Our massage students come in and offer massages. Uh, we bring in speakers. Uh, it’s open to administrative assistants, office assistants, anybody in an office that wants to keep growing their skills, staying current in today’s technology.
Tenpas: All right. I hope listeners are maybe intrigued about the program and are looking to see if it might be a fit for them, maybe their child, maybe their grandchild. So where can they go to learn more and find out more?
Reinke: I would go to our website at ww.tech.edu. In the search. I would put in office management and you will find us.
Tenpas: Perfect. Thank you so much for telling us about the program. And again, the heartbeats of our of our offices. Uh, we couldn’t do a lot of what we do without them.
Reinke: Absolutely. Thank you for having me.
