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By Bob Nieman
Helping employers recognize the benefits of hiring and retaining STC members will be a major focus of the Lone Star Chapter in the upcoming year, incoming Chapter President Debbie Wiles revealed at the chapter's Fort Worth Satellite meeting, held April 24 at the AmeriCredit offices in Fort Worth.
During a presentation entitled "Show Us the Money: STC and the DFW Marketplace," Ms. Wiles said she hopes to help employers "see the assets they have when they hire STC members."
"The challenge is to articulate these benefits in a way that employers will understand and agree," Ms. Wiles explained. She noted that these benefits include:
During a lively discussion, Ms. Wiles and meeting attendees also agreed that STC membership indicates an employee's commitment to his/her craft – which ultimately benefits employers. "You're exposed to things that help bring value to your employer," Ms. Wiles said. "Often they are things that others aren't exposed to."
Ms. Wiles noted that the current job market is gradually picking up over last year. At the same time, many employers are still reluctant to pay for STC memberships, as part of cutbacks in training, professional development, tuition reimbursement, etc.
To address this problem, Ms. Wiles suggests a win/win strategy designed to build membership while offering professional development opportunities that are attractive to employers. Her plan calls for an affordable STC workshop/membership package that will provide meaningful and ongoing professional development for technical communicators. Employers benefit through affordable professional development for their employees, and STC benefits through increased membership.
"It's easier to justify professional development instead of organizational memberships," Ms. Wiles explained.
Ms. Wiles, who works as Manager of Technical Information Services for Marconi Communications, also noted that STC membership provides significant benefits for each individual STC member. These benefits include:
By making sure employers understand the value of STC membership, Ms. Wiles said the Lone Star Chapter can assist its members who are looking for employment. "We'd much rather see one of our members get the job than someone who's not a member," she said.
The April meeting was the Fort Worth's Satellite group's last meeting of the 2002-03 year. The next meeting will be held in September. For more information, contact Brian McCarthy at 817-763-6119 (or FWSat@stc-dfw.org).