Business diagramAn upcoming Lean Champion Certification program is eligible for reimbursement from the Make It In American Grant for manufacturers in Erie, Crawford, Forest, Warren, Venango, and Clarion Counties. This Northwest Industrial Resource Center (NWIRC) course is scheduled to run 4-consecutive weeks in September. This course is approved for funding of up to $1063 towards the tuition from the grant via Partners for Performance (NWPA Workforce Investment Area).

Lean is all about continuous improvement. Improving quality, efficiency, change management, workplace safety, employee engagement, and the bottom line. Creating and maintaining a culture of continuous improvement involves trained leadership who will engage the entire organization in the process. Becoming a Lean Champion can be the first step!

This program reviews the detailed principles of Lean with hands-on training and individual assignments pertaining to the participants’ manufacturing business. The course schedule includes:

Session 1: Principles of Lean Manufacturing, September 7, 2016,  8:00am-4:00pm
Session 2: Value Stream Mapping,  September 14, 2016, 8:00am-4:00pm
Session 3: 5S/Key Performance Indicators, September 21, 2016, 8:00am-4:00pm
Session 4: Setup Reduction/Kaizen/Kanban, September 28, 2016, 8:00am-4:00pm

If you are new to Lean, there is also an option of scheduling Principles of Lean and/or Value Stream Mapping as stand-alone courses.

Click here to register for Lean Champion Certification. For more information about the course or how to apply for the Make It In America Grant, please email Molly Reichard, Event Coordinator at mreichard@nwirc.org