
The Workforce Advantage Certificate program provides the tools for personal branding, relationship building, and reputation management. Applying the knowledge learned through this program will ensure that participants convey a positive image of themselves and their organizations.
UCO Customized Education provides innovative instruction and keeps learners engaged with real-world scenarios. This University-backed curriculum provides the training needed for today’s workplace.
Learner Outcomes
- Understand the procedural and interpersonal dynamics of the workplace and how to navigate both
- Understand how to portray a professional image to employers and clients
- Learn how to develop positive professional relationships with others
- Recognize actions that can jeopardize the reputation of yourself or a company
Who Should Attend: Professionals who would like to increase their professional image and learn strategies for career advancement.
Course Format: Classroom
Prerequisites: None
Location: UCO Downtown
Cost: Certificate including all three modules: $1,295
Members of the State Chamber of Oklahoma are eligible for a $100 discount on the Workforce Advantage Certificate. Please contact Jessie West at UCO Customized Education for your member code to take advantage of this rate - jwest35@uco.edu or (405) 974-5060.
Questions? Contact us
Training schedule: This training program is presented in three distinct modules: Personal Branding, Relationship Building, and Reputation Management. Complete all three to earn your Workforce Advantage Certificate. Each module is presented over a 1 1/2 day session (Thursday 8-5 and Friday 8-12).
Module
|
Session
|
Topics Covered
|
Personal Branding |
February 8-9, 2018 |
Reliability, Adaptability, Professionalism, Integrity, Initiative, and Dependability |
Relationship Building |
March 8-9, 2018 |
Communication, Teamwork, General Differences, Entitlements & Expectations, Hierarchy, and Respect |
Reputation Management |
April 12-13, 2018 |
Business Fundamentals, Customer Focus, Planning & Organizing, Tools & Technology, Decision Making, and Problem Solving |
Personal Branding

Build a set of professional traits that present value to employers and clients.
Reliability
- Develop an understanding of professional rules, policies, and procedures
- Establish a routine for punctuality
- Demonstrate the ability to follow written and verbal directions
Adaptability
- Recognize and utilize innovative approaches to accomplishing tasks
- Evaluate the effectiveness of different approaches, optimizing those that work and improving or discarding those that do not
- Adjust plans, goals, actions, and priorities to deal with changing situations
Professionalism
- Differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate use of language when speaking with coworkers, supervisors, and clients
- Conduct oneself with poise and self-control during stressful, difficult, and tense situations
- Maintain professional appearance by dressing appropriately and maintaining personal hygiene
- Exhibit accountability in one’s work product
- Maintain a positive attitude
Integrity
- Demonstrate respect for company’s time and property
- Accept responsibility for one’s decisions and actions
- Display the traits of honesty, fairness, and respect when dealing with others
Initiative
- Develop motivation to seek out new responsibilities and work challenges to increase the variety and scope of one’s job
- Exhibit energy, drive, and effort in accomplishing tasks
- Establish and maintain personally challenging, but realistic work goals
- Identify ways to exceed standards and expectations
Dependability
- Recognize ways to earn and demonstrate trustworthiness
- Examine the importance of keeping your word and following up
- Increase consistency, predictability, and reliability
Relationship Building

Become indispensable by connecting with your professional teammates.
Communication
- Maintain open lines of communication with others
- Demonstrate sensitivity and empathy
- Listen to and consider others’ viewpoints
- Recognize and interpret the verbal and nonverbal behavior of others
- Speak clearly, in precise language
- Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation and capitalization
- Write in a factual manner in a tone appropriate for the target audience in multiple formats
Teamwork
- Demonstrate the ability to work effectively with others
- Recognize the importance of establishing trust and credibility with others
- Use professional and respectful behaviors when working with supervisors and co-workers
- Develop a plan for building constructive working relationships and maintaining them over time
- Identify appropriate strategies and solutions for dealing with conflicts and differences to maintain a smooth workflow
Generational Differences
- Increase knowledge of diversity and its benefits to an organization
- Demonstrate understanding of differences, views, values, strengths, and weaknesses of multiple generations in the workplace
Entitlements & Expectations
- Recognize the characteristics of an entitlement outlook
- Specify a set of realistic career goals and corresponding timelines
- Identify the likely expectations of co-workers and supervisors in your organization
Hierarchy
- Distinguish chain-of-command in an organization
- Recognize appropriate and inappropriate actions within a chain-of-command
Respect
- Demonstrate sensitivity and respect for the opinions, perspectives, customs and individual differences of others
- Exhibit flexibility and open-mindedness when dealing with a wide range of people
- Recognize the importance of diversity of approaches and ideas
Reputation Management

Create a lasting positive image for yourself and your organization.
Business Fundamentals
- Discuss the importance of one’s role in the functioning of the company and the potential impact one’s performance can have on the success of the organization
- Recognize the importance of maintaining privacy and confidentiality of company information, as well as that of customers and co-workers, and comply with intellectual property laws
- Maintain a healthful and safe environment, understand the significance of doing so, and report any violations/discrepancies to appropriate personnel
Customer Focus
- Improve customer satisfaction by providing personalized service with prompt and efficient responses
- Demonstrate a pleasant, courteous and professional demeanor when dealing with internal and external customers or clients
Planning & Organizing
- Plan and schedule tasks so that work is completed on time
- Demonstrate the effective allocation of time and resources efficiently
Working with tools & technology
- Select, use, and maintain tools and technology to facilitate work activity
- Discriminate between appropriate and inappropriate use of texting and social media
- Evaluate which tool or technological solution is the best solution for the problem at hand
Decision Making
- Utilize critical thinking skills to make decisions
- Analyze the consequences of decisions
- Discuss decisions appropriately with those who may be impacted by them
Problem Solving
- Demonstrate critical thinking skills to solve problems
- Report the problem to key stakeholders using proper hierarchical procedures
100% Lifetime Guarantee
This program is eligible for Customized Education's 100% Lifetime Guarantee to employers. As an employer, if you pay for an employee to attend this certificate program and are not satisfied with the outcome of the training the employee has received, you may have the same employee complete the entire program again, as many times as needed, during his or her employment period. To participate in this guarantee, the employer must pay for the employee's initial program fee, the employee must be enrolled in the full certificate program (including all three modules), the employee must remain continuously employed with the employer that paid the initial program fee, and only the original employee is eligible to repeat the program (no substitutions).
Certificate Details
A UCO Certificate of Completion is awarded upon completion of all three training modules (Personal Branding, Relationship Building, and Reputation Management). Certificates do not carry academic credit hours and are not transferable into a degree program.