Alyce Stiles, Director of Workforce Development at GCC
By Mary McClintock, ’82
Alyce Stiles brings years of experience in business and education to her new job as Director of Workforce Development at Greenfield Community College, including work at Yankee Candle and eleven semesters teaching at GCC as an adjunct faculty member. At Yankee Candle, Stiles was a Project Manager and Operations Business Team Leader and created and implemented their company-wide Sustainability Council. As an adjunct faculty member at GCC, Stiles taught Human Nutrition and General Chemistry, courses that are stepping stones for students headed toward nursing degrees. Stiles replaces Nancy Bair who is retiring after serving in the position for 12 years.
Dean of Community Education, Bob Barba said, “Alyce’s strong background makes her a perfect fit to lead the office that serves as the bridge between the College and employers’ needs for education and training for their employees. She has both first-hand knowledge of area employers’ needs and experience teaching community college students to help fill those needs. I encourage area employers to meet Alyce and discuss the employers’ current or future training needs. Alyce can help employers see how much GCC’s Workforce Development program has to offer.”
GCC’s Workforce Development office provides three types of support to area employers, including contract training, workforce-oriented open enrollment workshops, and grant assistance. Contract training is workforce-oriented training that is delivered to meet the specific needs of an area employer. This includes instruction that GCC already provides or specialized instruction that GCC develops for the employer. Workforce-oriented open enrollment workshops meet the needs of employers who want training for their employees but do not need a specifically-tailored program. Grant assistance involves partnering with the Franklin Hampshire Regional Employment Board and others to bring state and federal workforce development funds to the area.
Commenting on her new position, Stiles said, “I look forward to working as a liaison between the business world and GCC. The College can help employers build sustainable businesses and those businesses help strengthen our community. I leapt at the opportunity to work full-time at GCC while still keeping connections with the business world. I look forward to helping GCC continue to be successful at meeting the workforce needs of the area and building on the existing partnerships GCC has with the state and area businesses.”
GCC’s Chief Academic and Student Affairs Officer, Sheryl Hruska, said, “Workforce development is an important part of the comprehensive mission of Greenfield Community College. Alyce will build on the College’s current workforce training foundation, and serve as a leader and partner to meet the needs of regional businesses for a well-trained workforce. She is dedicated to helping business obtain training programs to build the workforce skill-base they need for business success and progress.”
Stiles holds a Master of Science degree in Food Science and a Bachelor of Science degree cum laude in Food Science, both from Rutgers University. Stiles taught Human Nutrition and General Chemistry at GCC from August 2003 to August 2007. She worked as a Project Manager at Yankee Candle from August 2011 until January 2013. She served as an Educational Specialist in Secondary Mathematics for the Education Service Center Region XIII in Austin, TX from July 2010 – August 2011. She worked as an Operations Business Team Leader at Yankee Candle from July, 2004 to May 2008. From 1994 through 2000, Stiles worked as a Research Scientist for Kraft Foods in Tarrytown, NY. She has taught high school mathematics in Austin, TX, Northampton, and West Springfield.
For more information about GCC’s Workforce Development offerings, visit http://web.gcc.mass.edu/workforce-development/ or contact Alyce Stiles at (413) 775-1607 or stilesa@gcc.mass.edu.
