Anne Barlas, a research engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, came to Bridge to Business without knowing much about accounting, sales or risk management, having graduated from UW-Milwaukee just a year earlier.
After completing the “Bridge to Business” program, she is very familiar with business terminology and ready to bring this knowledge into her company.
“This program provides a critical perspective to young engineers who may not have considered how engineering fits into the global landscape of a company before graduating,” says Barlas. “When I studied engineering, much of my work focused on theory, without the context of how engineering could be applied to business goals. Participating in Bridge to Business was like opening up a whole other world to me, where I saw how what I had learned worked in a company.”
Bridge to Business for Engineers is a six-day, non-credit program through the College of Business Administration that provides aspiring engineers with a crash course in the fundamentals of business. Participants learn everything from leadership skills to supply chain principles through a curriculum developed in partnership with the Opus College of Engineering. Zurn Elkay Water Solutions, Barlas’ employer at the time she participated in the program, is the sponsor.
“The world is becoming more interdisciplinary every day, and engineers who speak the language of business will have an advantage,” says Dr. Kevin Walsh, director of the Bridge to Business program and registered professional engineer. “Bridge to Business gives promising engineers the tools to realize their ambitions and become successful leaders.”
“The Bridge to Business program is a cornerstone of our executive education offerings at Marquette University,” said Jim Orheim, program director of executive education. “It fits seamlessly into our diverse portfolio and offers professionals a unique opportunity to enhance their business acumen and bridge the gap between theory and practical application.”
Talent development is an important but complicated issue for companies. In a survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management, lack of development and advancement potential was one of the top reasons employees left their jobs, second only to compensation. Companies need to invest in employees to retain them, but they may lack the money, time or expertise to develop their own program.
Marquette offers a solution. Engineering firms can send future executives to Bridge to Business instead, giving them the opportunity to meet world-class faculty without the organizational overhead of developing a course for junior executives from scratch.
Dr. Alex Milovic, associate professor of marketing practice, has been teaching this program for years and believes it is valuable for engineers with leadership aspirations.
“Everything inevitably revolves around business,” says Milovic. “No matter what you do, it’s always about money, budgets and customers. These companies understand that taking their employees out of a disciplined environment and giving them a different way of looking at things pays off in the long run.”
Barlas is living proof of that. When she graduated from the program, Barlas was a mechanical engineer at Zurn Elkay and was doing a rotation program where she spent six months in different business units. She had ambitions to start her own company, which would happen a few years after her time at Bridge to Business.
She particularly remembers a marketing class in which the professor would pick out a product on Amazon, then scroll down to the “Frequently Purchased Together” section and have a discussion about the psychology of combining certain items. Before that lesson, Barlas always assumed that the best-designed products would win in the market.
“Once I was further along in my rotation program, I had the opportunity to work with my company’s product management team, and that new perspective on the importance of marketing was incredibly helpful,” says Barlas.
Executive education is housed in the Graduate School of Management, along with other highly regarded programs such as the part-time MBA, which is ranked 73rd nationally. US News and World Reportand the Executive MBA, which is CEO Magazine. Many of the professors who teach at Bridge to Business, such as Milovic and accounting professor Dr. Michael Browne, offer abbreviated versions of their curricula at the graduate level.
“Bridge to Business is a great way to gain insight into higher education in business and its career implications.”
Karen Rinehart, Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Management
Karen Rinehart, associate dean of the Graduate School of Management, believes the six-day experience is a valuable introduction to the business world for those who may want to go further.
“Bridge to Business is a great way to develop a sense of what a business education can do and the professional impact it can have,” says Rinehart. “When Bridge to Business participants experience their professional understanding and contributions growing in a short-term program, the career-changing knowledge, skills and networks they have gained through an MBA become even more apparent.”
Companies also benefit from the program when employees pass on the knowledge they have acquired to their colleagues. Since Bridge to Business participants are often promising candidates who are likely to be promoted, the cost of one person attending the sessions can cover the training of an entire team if that person teaches their colleagues effectively.
“As professors, we always try to build a bridge between teaching and what is happening in the business world. So companies can rely on us to convey the information to the employees they send here in an interesting and relevant way so that they can share it with others,” says Milovic.
Organisations interested in participating in Bridge to Business can Visit our website or contact Dr. Kevin Walsh at [email protected]For more information about other executive education programs, contact Jim Orheim at [email protected].
