Solid leadership skills matter more than ever in the competitive job market, and Harper College is helping students stand out from the crowd.

The second installment of the College’s free Leadership Challenge – a yearlong training program filled with interactive group exercises, community service opportunities, workshops and projects aimed at making students more effective leaders both on campus and beyond – kicked off this week with an open-to-all event featuring team activities and games.

“Our goal with Leadership Challenge is to enable students to turn challenging opportunities into remarkable successes,” says Student Activities Coordinator Chris George, the program’s facilitator. “Those leading job interviews now are increasingly questioning candidates about their leadership experience. They want to hear solid examples of how these graduates took the reins on key projects and made a positive difference.”

The program, a spinoff of the popular book “The Leadership Challenge,” aims to give students – who often are called upon for a variety of duties at the College level – a solid foundation in leadership, ethics and professional etiquette.

Among the program’s offerings this academic year: advice from a panel of Harper alumni, a time management workshop, a seminar with “The Leadership Challenge” co-author Barry Posner and a crash course in public speaking.

“To become a true leader, you have to do more than sit through a single class,” George says. “It’s about getting out there and really experiencing leadership and practicing it.”

Harper students have a year to complete the program; that requires participation in Leadership Challenge activities and involvement in clubs, organizations or committees. It also requires the completion of a student portfolio that includes reflections on their experiences at the end of the year.