Here at NCCEP, we are onboarding a new team member … virtually! Like most, when onboarding new hires there are steps we take to make sure that the new staff member is comfortable and feels welcome on their first day – things like, setting up their computer and work station, providing Post-It notes and pens, and creating a schedule to assist with introductions to their new coworkers. Then there are steps we take to make sure that the new staff member is set up for success in their new position –  involving them in program or initiatives, bringing them up to speed on the status of a project, and figuring out how to incorporate them into the work. Onboarding used to be routine, until COVID-19.

COVID-19 has created challenges to completing these regular onboarding practices for new hires as many of us are onboarding new staff remotely. Here at NCCEP, our in-person office culture has been suspended as we’re all working from home, but the hiring of new staff hasn’t stopped.

Onboarding staff who are new to the GEAR UP field can sometimes be a lengthy process because there is so much to learn about GEAR UP. Performing this onboarding remotely can be daunting, especially when it comes to the technical aspects of a GEAR UP program. Providing virtual professional development opportunities to a new hire may sound a bit pre-emptive to some, but by providing this skills-building virtual training straight away allows a new employee to establish the skills and knowledge that any practitioner in GEAR UP should encompass. It is a way of mimicking the steps that we take in our in-person office cultures and enables us to set new folks up for success. In addition, virtual professional development training for new employees alleviates some of the weight on the hiring manager or supervisor to facilitate this information.

NCCEP’s Study Lab is here to help! In an effort to aid in this virtual onboarding process that many of us are experiencing, we created a cluster of onboarding bundles available on the Study Lab to help bridge this gap. Our intention in developing these bundles was to create collections of role-specific courses with content rooted in GEAR UP for GEAR UP practitioners, designed to specifically assist in virtual onboarding efforts.

The Study Lab’s onboarding bundles are specialized for each role: grant director, college access professionals, coordinators, and family engagement specialists. The courses in each bundle touch on knowledge, skills, and abilities that these roles encompass. Providing these bundles for new staff creates the opportunity to build a strong foundational knowledge-base that GEAR UP practitioners need.

We understand these bundles are not a one-size-fits-all, so we also offer guidance to curate an onboarding and professional development Study Lab experience that is custom fit to the needs of your staff. By contacting myself (Lauren Foley) or my colleague Danielle Walker, we can work with you to tailor professional development offerings based on the needs of your program and your staff – we like to think of this as the “Choose Your Own Adventure” professional development bundle.

As I work with our new team member, I am fortunate to use my own experience in joining NCCEP - most of my onboarding took place virtually as I started this job with NCCEP at the end of January 2020. Lucky for us, we have a great team and virtual onboarding has been great! We are looking forward to hearing from you about your onboarding efforts. And, stay tuned in the coming weeks to hear more about our newest team member!