There is a huge difference between the lessons learned in a classroom and those learned on the job. While education can prepare a student with theory and some degree of practice, the workplace is its own unique world, and no two workplaces are the same. Practical experience with the tools and techniques that employers demand can be a great leg up for students about to take their first jobs.

To learn more about the Infor Education Alliance Program, which is designed to provide that experience, Dave Vellante (@dvellante) and George Gilbert (@ggilbert41), cohosts of theCUBE, from the SiliconANGLE Media team, visited the Inforum 2016 conference in New York City. There, they met with Martine Cadet, senior director of Education Alliances at Infor, Inc.

Partnering with education

The conversation opened with a look at how Infor partners with educational institutions. Cadet mentioned Infor has benefited from a CEO who saw the value of partnering with colleges and other places of learning. Infor now has 13 member institutions and has learned what schools need and what students are looking for.

Cadet stressed that schools need to provide for a student’s practical experience. The challenge lies in preparing a student to compete with workers with years in the field. The solution provided by the Infor Education Alliance Program is to augment traditional education to provide those skills, Cadet explained.

“Technology is becoming the backbone of every organization, and Enterprise Resource Planning sits at the heart of that,” Cadet said.

Finding the right role

Cadet then spoke about how Infor has tracked students who went through its Education Alliance Program. The program has influenced more than 1,600 students and educators, some of whom were hired back into the company. Infor has seen some of these move from first-hires to transfers through the company.

The training right now is general. Cadet explained that Inform is in the process of developing role-specific courses. And it has already done the research to build training plans that meet the needs of what’s out there. Cadet pointed out that if Infor makes the right offerings, it could hire thousands of students over the next few years.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of the Inforum 2016.

Photo by SiliconANGLE