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January 8, 2001 |
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Intel Offers Staff Customized MBA
Cenquest-Babson program will provide content linked to chipmaker's objectives
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ntel has always encouraged its employees to pursue higher learning, and its workers soon will have a new sheepskin option. E-learning company Cenquest Corp. and Babson College in Wellesley, Mass., have partnered to create a customized two-year MBA program for Intel.
Beginning in May, the program will combine E-learning and classroom training, delivering Babson's existing content as well as Intel-specific case studies. Students will access courses online and collaborate via threaded discussions and chats. In addition, Babson faculty will hold classes once a month at Intel's Portland, Ore., and Santa Clara, Calif., locations.
The Intel-funded program lets the company address specific business needs, says Alan Fisher, Intel's extended education program manager. "That's extremely valuable," he says. "It gets away from the idea of just doing homework and instead has students doing real work that they'll immediately use on the job." The first group will be about 25 to 30 students.
Although Intel is the first, other companies are talking with Cenquest and Babson to establish similar MBA programs, says Tom Moore, CEO of Babson Interactive, the college's for-profit E-learning spin-off. The hybrid approach is more powerful than pure classroom instruction, he says, noting that quieter students will participate more online than in classroom discussions. And the curriculum customization appeals to employers that spend thousands of dollars on tuition reimbursement.
The program will cost Intel about $52,000 per student--comparable to other MBA programs, Fisher says.
When companies send employees to MBA programs, the curriculum may not be closely linked to the company's objectives, Cenquest CEO LaVonne Reimer Young says. "Now there's a way to deliver high-quality programs on the customer's terms," she adds.
PricewaterhouseCoopers has a custom employee MBA program it created several years ago with the University of Georgia that also includes online and classroom instruction. It had its first graduating class in September and was extended for four more years. Managed by Lotus Development Corp.'s LearningSpace platform, the tailored curriculum lets consultants quickly put learning into action, says Don Burkhard, director of PricewaterhouseCoopers' learning and professional development group.
One student immediately applied concepts during a meeting with a senior client; Burkhard says the client was impressed.
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