Extensive Course List

Computer Courses
Computer Courses are at all levels to fit your needs. Other applications are available.

Basic Keyboarding
Learn the proper keyboarding strokes and skills to become familiar with computer applications. Emphasis will be placed on how to use today’s computer keyboards and their various function keys. This basic instruction offers vital preparation for learning all word processing and many other computer programs. Master the keys on any keyboard using the touch-typing method.

Introduction to the Personal/Business Computer
This program is for individuals with little experience working with computers. It is presented to familiarize the employee with the basic components, terminology, and basic Windows. Includes: how to move around, create files, use help, and review current software.

Introduction to Microsoft Office
This program shows the employee how to work with Windows: moving around Windows using commands, copying, dialog boxes, icons, create/delete, folders/files, modifying, sorting, using disks, control panel, clock, and calculator.

Outlook
This program will include a brief introduction to email and attachments. Explore menus and toolbars; create folders and contacts; view, reply and forward your messages; manage your calendar and appointments.

Introduction to Microsoft Word for Windows
Learn to create professional looking documents quickly and easily using Microsoft Word, the most popular word processor for Windows. Discover versatile editing features and distinctive formatting techniques to enhance and emphasize your documents. The hands-on seminar will show you how to copy, cut, paste, drag and drop, undo editing, apply fonts and numbers, and bullet text.

Intermediate Microsoft Word for Windows
Learn how to use Microsoft Word’s powerful tools and formatting features to create professional looking documents quickly and easily. Discover shortcuts and timesaving keystrokes, utilize headers and footers, and create documents and data source files for mail merges.

Advance Microsoft Word for Windows
Discover how Microsoft Word advanced features can add power to your editing and document formatting. Master important Table features and, insert graphics into your documents for professional looking results. Line and embed Microsoft Excel files into Word documents. Design and use simple macros to automate your everyday procedures.

Introduction to Microsoft Excel
Take advantage of the powerful spreadsheet capabilities of Excel. This hands-on seminar utilizes actual financial, budgeting, and planning exercises to bring even the newest computer user up to speed on Excel. Discover the basics of electronic worksheet concepts and how they make your work faster and easier. Learn how to select and edit cells, input formulas, format numbers, and align text. You will leave this seminar knowing how to create, name, save, replace, and print worksheets as well as how to give your worksheets impact by using fonts, shading and borders.

Intermediate Microsoft Excel
Learn techniques that will save you time, produce accurate worksheets, prevent loss of data, and produce easy-to-read printouts using Excel’s advanced formatting and printing capabilities. Discover how to create simple templates and protect data using Excel’s security methods.

Advance Microsoft Excel
The advanced course will show you how to enhance your spreadsheet design and analysis, construct formulas and design, and use macros that can automate your procedures.

Introduction to Microsoft PowerPoint
“A picture is worth a thousand words.” This is undeniably the case in today’s competitive environment. A professional visual presentation can give your information and ideas clarity and impact. Learn to create exciting charts and graphs with this powerful Microsoft presentation software. Enhance your slides or on-screen presentations with the ClipArt provided with PowerPoint. This course will give you the tools to produce eye-catching presentations. Discover PowerPoint’s advanced capabilities to enhance the impact of your business presentations. Design slide shows using color schemes, backgrounds and ClipArt. Learn to use the Link feature to embed Word and Excel data into your PowerPoint slides.

Microsoft Access
Discover the essentials of using Microsoft’s database program, Access. Learn how to create a database, how to enter into it, change and edit your entries, and how to safely store your information. Access’ Wizards and Builders help you improve your input and output routines. You will also use the Query feature to turn your data into valuable information.

Troubleshooting Your PC
This course is designed for those who are familiar with their PC’s, but may run into problems from time to time. There will be an intensive review of hardware and software measures to prevent errors, test procedures, common causes of error and failure, and an explanation of potential problems when operating your PC. Included will be a discussion and identification of methods to detect and prevent viruses. Hardware compatibility will be covered.
Prerequisite: A basic Windows course/knowledgeable of Microsoft Windows.

Basic Networking
Network technicians are growing in demand. In this course participants will learn about networking standards, protocols, media, architecture, hardware, troubleshooting, and operating systems. Students will learn about configuring and installing the TCP/IP client, the Internet protocol, and integrative vendor and product neutral networking technologies.
Recommendation: Participants must have an understanding of Personal Computer hardware/configurations.
OCC CBET Prerequisite course: PC Troubleshooting and Maintenance.

Computer Building and Upgrading
This course is designed to give the participant a basic understanding of computer components and how to create a personal computer. It covers terminology, building strategies, analyzing and preparing your system, and installing hardware and software. It also includes post installation processes such as testing and updates. Basic Level – 15 hours.

Network + Certification
This course prepares you to take the Comptia Network + Certification Exam. It covers most aspects of computer networks from network protocols to the functions of various networks components.

Professional Development

Critical Thinking
In this course you will become familiar with the different styles of thinking. You will learn to ask the big picture questions, learn to challenge assumptions, and expand your perceptions about situations. You will explore ways to find out what you don't know and identify what the real problem is, so that you are not attempting to solve the wrong problem.

Business Writing for Success
Communicate effectively to your readers by streamlining your writing process. Learn to organize thoughts and develop concise content. You will learn how and when to use the appropriate tone, persuasion, and positive and negative words, along with techniques for editing and proofreading your work. You will benefit by writing letters, reports, and proposals that promote buy-in, cooperation and approval, and your writing will motivate and persuade your readers when appropriate.

Basic Grammar Review
Success in business demands clear, concise, and professional emails, memos, letters, and reports. Knowledge of punctuation and grammar is essential. Through this course you will overcome usage and punctuation challenges, learn up-to-date writing styles, avoid jargon, use proper word usage, and have subject verb agreement. In this course you will review practical grammar rules you can apply immediately.

Sales Skills
Salespeople are active; they want results fast; and when it comes to training, they want the answers to the challenges. That's the good news. The bad news is that these qualities can hinder adult learning. The biggest challenge in training sales people is creating an active environment in which they can make their own discoveries. To do this, a person must reflect on what he or she does currently and how to improve his/her sales ability. Therefore the workshop explores the basics of sales and service, the culture of the organization, what is currently the sales process, and how each participant can improve his/her productivity.

Executive Coaching
Today's dynamic business environment demands that organizations and their executives perform at an increasingly higher level than ever before. Many successful organizations, both private and non-profit, are using executive coaching to create a culture of high performance, change, leadership, and learning. Coaching involves challenging and supporting executives in achieving higher level of performance while increasing their self-confidence and capacity to take effective action. We start the executive coaching process by utilizing 360-degree feedback. 360-degree feedback is a method of systematically collecting opinions about a manager's performance from a wide range of coworkers. This could include peers, direct reports, the boss, and the boss' peers – along with people outside the organization, such as customers. The benefit of collecting data of this kind is that the person gets to see a panorama of perceptions rather than just self-perception, which affords a more complete picture.

Dealing with Difficult People
This workshop is designed to provide an opportunity to learn more effective strategies for relating to angry and emotional individuals. The program includes a review of components of interpersonal communication including attending skills, responding skills, and assertive responses. The program looks at types of anger, the cause of anger, and how to deal with it and possibly even prevent it.

Public Speaking: Presentation Survival
A great presenter has two unique qualities, appropriate skills and personal confidence. This confidence comes from knowing what you want to say, and being comfortable with your communication skills. In this two-day workshop, you will master the skills that will make you a better speaker and presenter.  This workshop covers Communication, Edit Your Conversation, Speaking Characteristics, First Impressions, Four Good Rules for Any Conversation, Body Language, Sticky Situations, Planning Your Presentation, Overcoming Nervousness, and more.

Business Courses

Interviewing/Hiring Techniques
Hiring the right people at the right time is critical to the success of your business. This course focuses on effective interviewing methods, assessment tools to heighten your ability to choose the most qualified candidates, and the importance of reference checks. Efficient resume screening and sourcing of candidates will also be covered.

Project Management
This course covers the highlights of defining a project, the basic steps of managing a project, and the basic techniques used in planning and controlling projects. Learn methods for managing unique work efforts and strategies for ensuring success.
This course should follow Introduction to TQM.

Activity Based Cost Management (ABCM)
This program is designed for employers/employees to understand the process of ABCM including analyzing and budgeting your organization by its activities, (e.g. ordering costs, etc.) Learn how to identify activity costs and cost reduction opportunities by using these tools.
This course should follow Project Management.

Preparing for and Running Effective Meetings
Meetings are an integral part of the successful operation of any organization. Ensuring that meetings are productive and that they maximize the time spent by employees can be a challenge. Whether you are asked to coordinate, lead or participate, there is a good chance that meetings impact your job in some way. This workshop is designed to give participants the awareness and skills necessary to make meetings more effective. Participants who attend this workshop will: be able to identify components of an effective meeting; learn the elements of proper meeting preparation; be able to develop an effective and practical agenda; understand the role and responsibilities of a meeting facilitator; learn techniques for keeping a meeting on track; understand the value of ground rules; become aware of behaviors that can derail a meeting; learn how to encourage balanced participation during a meeting; learn the importance of proper meeting closure; and determine how to create accountability through follow-up procedures.

Effective Problem Solving and Decision Making
Most business owners are quite good at thinking on their feet and quickly addressing challenges. It takes a disciplined approach to information gathering and decision making to ensure creating solutions that will bring the long lasting effects that are desired. Learn to change your thinking processes to bring improved results.

Stress and Success
This course uncovers the hidden positive factors that can be realized through the effective management of stress. Everyone has some sort of pressure in their lives today, personal and professional, and depending on how it is viewed and handled, it can be shaped into a challenging and inspiring experience. The variety of factors connected with stress management are explored in order to avoid letting stress overwhelm, exhaust, create illness and misery for us.

Organizing Records and Files
Information management involves classifying, arranging, and storing records according to a systematic plan. Records are stored for quick reference, for preservation, and most important of all, for retrieving an item readily when it is requested. Information management is a broad office function that includes management of records in various media formats. The presentation centers on what an assistant needs to know about maintaining paper and computer files in an office or department.

Customer Relationship Building
What do we mean by “Good Customer Service”? The term has been used over and over again, especially since the quality improvement movement of the late 1980's. Has good customer service lost its meaning with the advent of discount retailers, fast food, on-line shopping and value vs. quality marketing? This workshop will explore what Customer Service means to customers, employees, and managers of the organization and how to make it an essential part of the organizational culture. Unlike customer service programs geared for line staff, the focus will be on managing the service process in order to achieve the vision and objectives of the organization.

Change Management
Every organization arrives at its current level of practice/performance because of a series of multiple changes. Whether these changes involve adopting new technologies to serve the customer better or dealing with turnover of key positions, your organization's history is a chronology of changes it has experienced. This workshop is designed to help organizations succeed in moving the organization and its staff in new directions. The workshop gives participants insight, guidance, templates, and a flexible guide to deal with a wide variety of change experienced by organizations

“MYOB” - Minding Your Own Business…A guide to finance, budgeting, and measuring success
This session will provide you with an overview of financial concepts as they relate to the organization and as they relate to planning for your department's needs. Specifically: understanding the key points of financial statements as they relate to your department's success; trend analysis; and monitoring your performance in relationship to your budget. You will learn macro overviews of financial concepts, financial statements, financial planning, measuring success, and tracking performance.

Process Evaluation and Improvement
Enhance your organization's efficiency and effectiveness with a proven approach to process improvement that is easy to learn and applicable to all organizational environments. Participants will learn how to identify and characterize work processes, eliminate waste, streamline and optimize workflow, improve and control performance, and ensure that processes reliably meet their requirements. Throughout the course, team-based exercises allow participants to apply and practice their newly acquired skills using an actual work process they select from their area of job responsibility.

Finance Basics for the Non-Financial Employee
In today's changing and sometimes uncertain economy, when every manager is being held accountable for the bottom line, employees have to be “finance-savvy.” Managers need to know how to justify request…quantify their department's contributions to the company….and spot drains immediately. The focus of this workshop series will be to meet those specific needs of the non-financial employee in easy-to-understand terms. Participants will learn how to apply and use the information to operate more efficiently and successfully.

As a result of this workshop, gain greater confidence with a working knowledge of business financials and be able to converse using financial terminology; utilize, and participants will be able to: get a firm grasp on the numbers side of their information that is useful for investing, lending, and other economics decisions; understand how everyday business transactions are translated into financial data and discover new ways to make their department financially effective; evaluate the economic resources of the business as it pertains to their department/division; understand the financial workings of the organization at a level appropriate for their work functions and responsibilities; and assist in the overall management of fiscal accountability.

Budgeting 101
In today's tight economy, knowing how to plan and use budgets effectively is essential for managers. In this course you will examine the purpose and use of a budget, learn how to develop a revenue budget, learn how to make managerial decisions based on your budget, set monthly and yearly goals, and prepare for the unexpected.

Time Management: Practical Techniques for Controlling Time and Making it a Manageable Resource
In this course you will recognize key components of goal setting through time management, you will learn quick and easy ways to handle non-essential tasks, you will learn to direct your efforts to the most important tasks, and you will identify ways to deal with distractions and eliminate interruptions. You will gain ideas as to how to manage multiple priorities, set goals, implement techniques for effective multi-tasking and scheduling, and more.

Understanding Diversity & Differences
The Diversity workshop covers the following topics:

• Diversity & the Bottom Line
• Demonstrating Diversity
• Diversity – the complete concept
• Barriers to Success
• Maintaining a Diverse Workforce
• Diversity Training
• Diversity Mentoring
• Measuring Results

Material presented at this session is done so in an informal manner. All topics are covered through interactive lecture, practical exercises and impromptu role play. A workbook is also provided to all participants to enable them to follow the flow, capture notes and take away resource materials for future use.

Sexual Harassment Prevention
Sexual Harassment is one of most critical and vexing legal/Human Resources issues facing corporate management today. This informative session provides a review of both federal and state laws prohibiting sexual harassment at work, the responsibility of the employer/manager and the rights of those who believe they are victims. The program is highly interactive, using practical workplace situations and court cases to bring life to important legal concepts. Additionally, the program will cover the company’s policy regarding harassment. You will learn to recognize, prevent, and effectively intervene when sexual harassment is detected.

Successful Negotiating
In every business situation, knowing how to negotiate skillfully can mean real success.
Using real situations, this powerful seminar covers everything from the steps used in pre-negotiation planning to a review of those seemingly unimportant “little details” that can cause an otherwise well thought-out argument or presentation to fail. This seminar will prepare employees to cope with buyers who have “fine-tuned” their own negotiating skills.

Maximum Positive Workplace Synergy
This one-day Work Shop is designed to introduce participants to a fresh, new approach while examining the traditional Management Model. From A-Z, this look promotes a realistic view of exactly “what is working and what is not”. Course material is presented through a wide variety of impromptu role playing, video clips, fun exercises, safe environment, lecture and thought provoking personal style evaluation. A new look at Coaching, Motivation and Communication are presented in a non threatening, fun manner. Through the use of Diversity exercises, participants will discover a fresh, new approach that will enable them to tap into the rich, undiscovered pool of creativity, talents and skills inherent within the work force. Measurement techniques, to ensure ongoing success, are also included within each topic.

Root Cause Analysis
Before you can solve a problem you need to understand the root cause of the problem. Employee turnover might be the symptom of the problem, but the root cause may be lack of employee recognition or low job satisfaction.

Ethics in Business
The world is watching how business is conducted, judging the organization by the actions of its leaders and employees.  An ethical workplace brings out the best in the employees-- a sense of fairness, honesty, integrity and trust.  An ethical organization can result in increased market share, improved reputation, and reduced litigation.  Discussions include discrimination, theft, dishonesty, and other ethical dilemmas in your work setting.  Employees will learn how to analyze the situation, consider the consequences, and take appropriate action.  The workshop presenter can communicate the company's clear expectations regarding workplace integrity, and introduce the company's policies and procedures. 

Career Planning & Transition

Challenge of Change
It is now a fact of life that organizations are reshaping and altering how they operate. Change is far-reaching, rapid, and cuts across all sectors of the economy. Change within organizations is affecting more and more employees. It is very important for a healthy workforce to recognize and understand the change, face what may be seen as problems and see them as opportunities, and be in control in order to manage the change. The Challenge of Change seminar will facilitate employees’ acceptance of the change taking place in their careers and teach them how to manage these changes in the most productive way. The seminar will help employees to understand the changing workplace and teach them strategies to overcome the change.

Career Planning
The career decision making process is a life long process of gathering, evaluating and putting together information about oneself. In these workshops participants will have the opportunity to survey their skills/abilities, aptitudes, education, and experiences. A valid standardized testing measurement will enable the employee to learn about their interests. Employees will clarify their career goals and develop a career action plan.
In the first part of this workshop employees will review their assessment results and learn about career decision making, overcoming barriers, and goal planning. Then they will learn how to explore the career areas they have identified as possible careers for themselves. They will consider their skills, values, interests, educational levels, aptitudes, and experiences. Employees will identify educational opportunities.

Job Search Techniques
In this workshop, employees learn 49 ways to identify hidden and advertised job openings within their place of employment as well as in the community. Learning where to inquire about available jobs and how to approach the job opportunities appropriately assists in developing individuals to be competitive job seekers. Individuals will leave this workshop feeling motivated to commence a job search and encouraged that their efforts will bring success.

Effective Resume Writing
In this workshop, employees will be instructed on how to write an effective resume. The resume, most often, is the first presentation to a prospective employer. It is the first step toward generating interviews and it assists in securing jobs. How to write an effective cover letter will also be discussed.

Interview Techniques
In this workshop, employees will learn how to be successful in an interview. It is important to prepare for job interviews, because one's presentation to a prospective employer is a crucial part of the prospective employer's decisionmaking process in hiring. Areas covered in the workshop include how to answer interview questions, how to dress, interviewing the interviewer, interview tips, and verbal and nonverbal messages.

Employment Strategies
Today’s job seeker must learn that obtaining employment is actually a job and process in and of itself. Successful applicants find themselves in this position because they created, implemented and used a successful strategy. The one-day workshop is designed to acquaint and equip participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve their employment goals.

Achieving Success, Moving Ahead and Upward
This course deals with understanding and using tools to develop the necessary habits that will enable individuals to achieve goals while improving all areas of their lives. The basic principals of all successful leaders are incorporated into this course and through the use of lecture, class exercises, role play and case studies attendees will learn how to display the leadership skills and traits to effectively find success.

Safety & Health

First Aid/CPR
American Red Cross First Aid and CPR Course. This course meets your need to have employees trained to respond to medical emergencies on the job. Includes: Injury prevention, recognizing the signs of an emergency, emergency action steps, basic care for injury and/or sudden illness until the victim can receive professional medical help. CPR for Adults includes rescue breathing, foreign body airway obstruction (the Heimlich Maneuver), and CPR and personal protection.

Patient Satisfaction & Customer Service
This course will provide the foundations and concepts necessary for professional and support staff to provide quality customer service, focusing on the importance of customer satisfaction. Included in the program will be the identification of each employee’s role in the customer-supplier model, recognizing service needs, measuring the needs in terms of quality service, developing a personal commitment for patient care, and understanding the collective responsibility of all employees to be committed to services.

Total Quality Management

Introduction to Total Quality Management
This course is designed and recommended for all employees that are involved in projects, team activities, and interfacing with customers and vendors. Understand the principles and tools of Total Quality Management and see how they apply to continuous improvement activities in the business. Successful quality programs have the benefits of increasing customer satisfaction and reducing costs.

Statistical Process Control
This course provides a comprehensive study using statistics, control charts, and data to manage efficiently and effectively in a packaging and assembly environment. Materials include work related exercises using run charts, variable data charts, attribute data charts, and interpreting them to make better decisions on the lines, reducing downtime and waste, and increasing productivity.

ISO Certification Preparation
We offer courses in all phases of ISO Certification from an overview of the process, to training of internal auditors, to creating a quality plan, and tips for those about to be audited. Our instructors are experienced with the ISO Certification Process in that they have helped companies and organizations become certified, and have served as both internal and official auditors.

Supervision & Management

Understanding the Role of Management
Experienced managers and supervisors can appreciate having the supervisory skills, strategies and techniques taught in this course. Many find that they want to learn more about leadership, communications and delegation. In this seminar participants will brush up on their leadership skills… discover new trends in employee management… and energize them to do a better job. Exceptional managers – just like superb management skills – continue to adapt with the times.

Managing Conflict and Change
This course provides intensive instruction on dealing with conflict in an organizational setting. Topics include inter-and intra-personal conflict, conflict between work groups that affect an organization. Models of conflict resolution will be used for actual organizational situations and problem solving, teaching the participants to think win-win. Core to the instruction will be an understanding of change, and planned change management. Upon completion of this course, the participants will develop an understanding and tolerance for the differences among people, resources, and goals that cause conflict in organizations. From this understanding, they will become better problem solvers, develop Human Resources day-to-day problem resolution skills, and properly manage change.

Team Building
This course is designed for employees at any level of an organization. It focuses on the methods and processes of team building, group decision making, and developing methods of cooperative ownership in the company’s business. Included is an intensive project on group decision making with an actual problem within the company’s system.

Project Management
This course provides methods and techniques to properly manage one or multiple projects. Included are determination factors of time, quality, cost, and resource allocation as they relate to scheduling and project performance. Methods also include flow-charting, critical pathing, and cost benefit analysis. Recommendation: This course should follow Introduction to TQM.

Managing Customer Service
The need for leading, promoting and enhancing a customer-focused culture is essential. This workshop will help managers/leaders create customer satisfaction. Participants will: identify ways to establish the links between excellence in customer service and business practices, and policies; develop the skills and practices that are essential elements of quality customer service; recognize who the customers are and what they are looking for; develop strategies for creating customer satisfaction in whatever business units they work within; and develop a culture that will motivate employees to perform and to be engaged in meeting customer needs.

Building Winning Business Teams
In business, just as in sports, it takes teamwork to succeed. Every person in the business, from owner to employee, must be contributing to shared goals in order for the team to succeed. Learn how to build winning teams, starting with you, the coach.

Establishing Performance Expectations
As a manager or supervisor it is essential that your associates have a clear understanding of what is expected of them. Establishing clear performance expectations gives your associates the opportunity to do their best for themselves and for the organization. Without clear expectations, even the most skilled, well-intentioned associate may fall short. In this unit, you will learn how to focus your associates on the right targets so they can keep goals in view, make better decisions, and manage their own jobs effectively.

Goal Setting
A goal is a clear, specific, well-defined plan to achieve a specified result or outcome. In this course you will learn the advantages of goal setting, as follows: provides direction, purpose and guidance; helps keep you focused on performance of important duties and responsibilities; encourages new and more efficient processes; and provides a benchmark against which to compare performance. You will learn the facts of components of SMART goals and practice developing goals. Communicating goals effectively is important when working with others, and this too will be covered in the course.

Conducting Performance Appraisals
Done properly, performance appraisals should reinforce positive behavior, improve performance weaknesses, and help build a successful work environment. The appraisal process also documents performance issues and provides valuable protection against possible legal exposure. The seminar examines performance appraisal as part of ongoing performance management, and it will help managers and supervisors evaluate associates fairly, objectively and consistently. Topics include examining the key issues surrounding performance appraisals; procedures, criteria, and rating system; documenting performance in clear descriptive terms; and establishing guidelines for goal-setting, constructive feedback, and two-way communication during the performance appraisal discussion.

Performance Appraisal & Evaluation
Workshop topics address:

• Performance Appraisal as a tool to increase productivity
• How to accurately measure, appraise and assess performance
• Developing realistic, achievable and measurable performance objectives
• Review of the critical elements of the appraisal form
• How to capture performance related to the policy of any organization
• How to develop regular schedules for delivery of appraisals
• Communications skills to deliver effective appraisals and other types of related reviews
• How to administer the process in a fair and equitable manner
• When and how to create and deliver effective employee development plans
• How to use the process to motivate and reward achievers while addressing and improving the performance and productivity of others who do not meet standards

Applied Leadership
This program is intended and designed for individuals who want to identify, develop and enhance their Leadership potential. The program highlights the effective Leadership response displayed in light of ever changing challenges. These range from being the consummate administrator and communicator to effective visionary and coach while adeptly managing budgets and other resources. Interactive lecture combined with practical group and individual exercises provide the opportunity for participants to assess and improve their own levels of leadership ability. These concepts are demonstrated by situations commonly faced by today’s Leaders. This course contains invaluable information for individuals to develop the communications skills leaders require to adequately conveying key organizational messages while gathering critical data.

Leadership Institute
This is a comprehensive training and education program customized and developed for an organization's Executive Leaders. It is designed to provide insight into today's leadership expectations. It will help participants understand the importance of vision in aligning team performance and examine the leader's role as a motivator and coach. Through dynamic instructors and facilitators, participants will strengthen their own skills and be prepared to inspire others to drive results.

Communication Skills for Managers
This workshop is designed to provide participants with the essential communication skills needed to function as a team member in a diverse and changing work environment. In this workshop, participants have the opportunity to expand their communication effectiveness within the team structure. The desired benefits will be an overall improvement of communications with the work environment, higher trust levels, and better problem-solving capabilities.

Coaching Employee Performance
Today's dynamic business environment demands that organizations and individuals perform at an increasingly higher level than ever before. Many successful organizations, both private and non-profit, are using coaching to create a culture of high performance, change, and learning. As a result, coaches must learn to develop the skills, commitment, creativity, and flexibility of the people they work with. Coaching involves challenging and supporting people in achieving a higher level of performance while increasing their self-confidence and capacity to take effective action. This workshop provides an opportunity for an organization to build a common understanding and framework for developing people. Participants will learn a practical, proven process for coaching and providing effective feedback. The benefits of developing coaching skills are significant in terms of increasing productivity, reducing turnover, developing collaborative relationships, and working together to solve business issues.

Motivating Employees… It can be done!
This class will provide you with an opportunity to learn different behavioral theories and understand the role they play in creating an environment promoting employee satisfaction and motivation. Learn ways to encourage employees to become more productive, positive and effective. Participants will identify key factors to creating an environment that motivates staff.

Facilitation Skills for Team Leaders
This workshop is designed to help managers/supervisors deal with the components of adult learning. The workshop looks at both the formal and informal learning process needed for adult learning. The workshop will explore the concepts of needs analysis, content formulation, material preparation, basic principals, and assessment. The focus will span training from a ten-minute instruction session to a fully planned formal workshop.

Fundamentals of Delegating
Delegation is often one of the hardest skills for a manager to master. However, the skill can be learned. This workshop will explore many of the facets of delegation: when to delegate, and who to delegate to. We will also go through the delegation process step by step, to see where the pitfalls lay, and what we can do about getting around them.

Developing Management Skills for Administrative Support Staff
This seminar will teach participants management approaches that will give them the knowledge and confidence to effectively handle tasks and projects. Assistants will learn how to win the support and respect of their supervisor through making solid decisions. Participants will acquire the skills to set goals through prioritization and planning. This course will also demonstrate how to schedule work by efficiently managing time.

Strategic Planning and Goal Setting
This workshop has been designed to help participants complete the work needed to build your organization's strategic plan. In addition to completing your current planning processes and formats, participants will be introduced to start-of-the-art strategic planning techniques with emphasis on those directed toward evaluating and responding to external forces and conditions.

Constructive Discipline
This workshop will help you discover how to minimize the intense emotions that may accompany performance discrepancies.  You will learn the secrets to getting the results you want and need.  This workshop will result in more confident leadership skills.  This workshop includes understanding "discipline" in the professional workplace, identifying a performance problem, analyzing the severity of the problem, conducting the problem solving discussion, documentation and follow-up.

Manufacturing

Activity Based Cost Management
This course offers methods and skills to implement a cost assignment system based on costs of activities and resources to determine true financial performance measures. It develops processes for greater accuracy, greater control, and better management decision-making. Upon the completion of this course, the participants will be able to develop separate department and production lines in terms of cost, value and efficiency, solve problems and make corrections for poor and low performing operations, and assess accurate performance for individual cost centers.
Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of budgeting and accounting.

Bar Code Inventory Management Systems
This course is designed for inventory control, production control and cost center personnel to design, develop and implement an inventory bar code system to track all materials, raw product and parts in the production process. Instruction will include bar code development, integrating scanning equipment into a documentation system, and measuring material usage.

Blueprint and Work Order Reading and Interpretation
This course is intended for employees who create or read production drawings and prints for the development of finished products. Topics include blueprint information, scales and projections, 360 and multiple view projections, material requirements, standards, tolerances, and allowances. Also included are definitions and terminology specific to the product description and customer requirements.
Prerequisites: Basic math and knowledge of shop equipment.

Contract Management
This course is intended for those employees who are involved with sales, purchasing, and customer contracting. Topics included are the laws of contract, negotiation skills, specificity of language and documentation, and compliance to the contract document. Participants will use actual company contracts as a format for consistency and compliance issues.

Customer Service and Continuous Improvement
This course is intended for all levels of employees in an organization. Contents emphasize the methods and processes for customer satisfaction, showing it is everyone’s responsibility to serve the customer with quality products and services, on time delivery, and error free shipments. Included will be a discussion of customer service situations and the need to respond to the customer’s requirements.

Principles of Hydraulics
This course covers the principles and theories of fluid and pneumatic hydraulics. Topics include the physics, measurement, and formulas common to decision making and trouble shooting compression, line, and pressure problems. Participants will demonstrate proficiency of problem solving using worksheets and diagnosis of actual workplace situations.

Inventory/Internal Distribution Management
This course is designed for warehouse, distribution, and production employees to develop methods for maximum efficiency in the movement of stock, product, and packaging materials. Processes are developed for “just in time” internal distribution to reduce wasted time and product while creating workflow methods to increase productivity.

Machining Plastics and Metals
This course is intended for floor, shop, and production personnel to learn the methods and processes of properly machining plastics and metals. While there is no on-the-job component of this course, the classroom sessions will cover methods and techniques of machine set-up. Principles of machining, safety of the use of machining tools and equipment, and applications of creating product from prints and work order documentation.

Production Control Methods
This course is designed for those who are responsible for the planning and scheduling of production cycles, daily and long term. The participants will learn modern scheduling methods, aggregate production planning and optimization of raw materials and resource utilization for quality, on time production. Included will be information of supply chain management.

Production Scheduling & Workflow Management
This course is designed to increase the efficiency of the company’s production scheduling function. Included are methods of production planning and control, the use of flow charts and time lines, inventory ordering and distribution systems, and problem solving methods for master scheduling.

Work Flow Strategic Management
This course is designed for first line supervisors and lead people to be able to delegate job and work activities to subordinates. The differentiation between management and task performance is emphasized, showing methods to match tasks with abilities, sustaining employee motivation while maximizing departmental workflow. Included will be exercises for production and personnel scheduling for increased efficiency. Included also will be strategy development for workflow effectiveness.

Work Measurement and Performance Evaluation
This course is designed for managers and supervisors to develop behavioral and task criteria for measuring employee performance, as it reflects on organizational and departmental goals and objectives. Included in the program are the methods and processes to develop actual performance documents, methods for rating performance, and strategies to correct deviations of employee performance.

Communication

English as a Second Language (ESL)
ESL is for non-native speakers of English. The course will help this population communicate effectively with co-workers. Participants will:

• develop familiarity with language and conversation skills as it applies to work situations
• develop competency with oral work instructions
• understand basic greetings and introductions
• learn basic numbers related to work

Basic Communication Skills
Communication is the thread that holds a workplace together. When the way information gets passed is careless, used improperly, or simply doesn’t exist, productivity suffers. Presenting this program will raise the effective communication skill levels of all participants simultaneously.
This workshop will help staff:

• be more skillful talkers and listeners
• make a positive first impression
• adjust their communication style without compromising their personal style
• convey warm trusting images
• develop rapport quickly
• learn to present their ideas in a way that opens minds, minimizes opposition and gets them the serious consideration they deserve
• improve charisma
• exercise leadership and advance in their careers . . . and more.

Effective Email Communication
In this workshop you will tighten your grasp of "netiquette" and discover how -- by making a few adjustments -- you can strengthen your professional image and increase the clarity of your messages. The session will cover: tone of voice, getting your point across, avoiding problems with forwarded messages, improving the readability of your messages, and more!

Effective Telephone Skills
Your customer’s first contact with your business may be by telephone. Make this first impression a positive one! This course offers techniques in telephone etiquette: speaking in a professional, competent manner, engaging your customers in a friendly, effective conversation, and ensuring the caller’s contact is a positive experience. There will be an opportunity to practice good communication skills using role-playing, and feedback will be provided.

Public Speaking
Learn how to communicate thoughts clearly and concisely to any size group, with confidence. Merge positive attitude with presentation skills. Overcome fear by using proven techniques for effective public speaking.

Giving Constructive Feedback
Providing constructive and useful feedback to others is one of the most important tasks a manager is expected to perform. Feedback is a useful tool for indicating when things are going in the right direction or for redirecting problem performance. This unit builds skills for delivering objective, honest feedback that is meaningful to others. The seminar utilizes group discussion, video models, and skills practice to stress the importance of providing timely, meaningful feedback and to enable you to formulate and deliver helpful, constructive feedback that achieves optimal results.

Spanish for Managers
Spanish for Managers is an intensive course that covers conversation; oral communication and writing skills to help managers and supervisors develop fluency in the Spanish language. The course is offered in the format of guided discussion and is highly participatory. The benefits include improved communication with staff and co-workers, ability to understand employee concern, increased morale resulting from better communication skills, awareness of safety and health issues, and increased cultural awareness.

Conversational Spanish
This course will cover the basic words, terms, and conversation for non-Spanish speaking employees to become familiar with Spanish as it applies to the workplace. Topics include greetings, numbers, and measurement, giving instructions, descriptions, and directions around the facility and identifying problems and solutions. Upon completion of the course the participants will be able to understand and carry on simple conversation with Spanish speaking co-workers and customers, and give basic work instructions and directions.

Stand Up & Speak
Each speaker has his or her own unique style. These can range from high drama with emphatic gestures and emotion to concise, simple, understated approaches when delivering a message. As Public Speaking practice takes place, people develop their own individual effective style. This course has been designed to introduce and prepare individuals to gain the confidence, skills and ability to function as effective Public Speakers. This course also offers special attention to the individual interests and needs of participants. Time is allotted to allow individuals to discover their own unique style. They will also be given the coaching and delivery skills necessary to effectively address the specific audience that they will encounter.

Achieving Customer Service Excellence
Identify the benefits of providing excellent service, improve communication skills to increase customer satisfaction and build customer relationship through determining customer needs.

DiSC for a Better Understanding of Yourself and Others
The DiSC Classic, a standard tool for self-understanding, has been used 30 years with proven reliability. The DiSC model explores a range of behavioral styles- Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness. The DiSC Classic assessment can help improve communication, ease frustration and conflict, and it can help you to understand management styles. By incorporating the DiSC Classic Profile and interactive group exercises, attendees will: identify and understand their own behavior and preferred communication style/tendencies; recognize ways in which to improve communication; learn how and when to adapt their behavior and communication methods; and apply this information towards further managing and developing employees.

Healthcare

Medical Terminology
This course provides a foundation for the Allied Health field and is a prerequisite for a certificate program as a medical coding specialist, medical records technician, medical billing specialist, or a medical transcriptionist. Learn to dissect words, recognize combined forms and the meaning of prefixes/suffixes. The participants will gain an understanding of terminology, and how it relates to the organization and complexity of the body.

Medical Insurance and Billing
A comprehensive understanding of the insurance industry is crucial to the claims reimbursement process. A variety of carriers will be covered including Medicare, HMO's, Medicaid, Workers Compensation and traditional plans. An emphasis will be placed on Medicare rules and regulations for billing. Various occupations relating to the health insurance industry will be introduced.

American Sign Language for Health Care Professionals
This course is designed to introduce the student to American Sign Language, a visual-gestural language of the deaf and hearing impaired. Materials covered include visual-gestural techniques, the alphabet, basic rules of grammar and common greetings, acknowledgements and expressions. Specific attention will be given to basic medical and healthcare communication and instructions and directions in and around the hospital.

Spanish for Health Care Workers
This course will provide the participants with basic words, phrases and questions to assist them in understanding Spanish speaking patients and to provide them with timely information in emergency and trauma situations.

Telecommunication

Overview of Basic Data Communications
The challenge of integrating sophisticated technology into products, systems and services means that technical professionals must develop a solid foundation and “state-of-the-art” expertise in data communications and networks. This course is designed to increase your technical knowledge of key communication terms, transmission technologies, types of hardware and software, basic management tools, security issues, the importance of the internet and emerging technologies. This course is valuable for hardware and software engineers, systems analysts and other technical, data processing and telecommunications professionals, and managers who require a technical introduction to data communications.
Prerequisite: Participants must have an understanding of computer hardware components. This course should be completed before an employee attends the Introduction to Basic Networking Course.

Construction/Maintenance Trades

Uninterrupted Power Supply
The term “Uninterrupted Power Supply” (UPS) refers to a wide range of power protection products safeguarding machinery and robot controllers against power fluctuation. The advantages of UPS include reducing the sensitivity and risk of damage to control components due to poor power supply. This course will provide an overview of UPS and the equipment available today.

New Technologies and the Construction Trades
In this course participants will learn about new tools and technologies used in a variety of trades included in construction maintenance. Participants will learn about new tools and how to use the tools safely. In addition, new procedures of construction maintenance in relation to the tools and technologies will be reviewed to enable workers to better facilitate construction tasks.

Municipality Specific Courses

Compliance Training

Other

Mediation for Attorneys
Basic mediation training for attorneys. The philosophy of the training embodies the idea that alternative methods of conflict resolution improves the quality of decision making, develops a greater capacity for avoiding protracted disputes, and creates a culture of cooperative problem-solving. Participants will develop a broad-based understanding of the nature, sources and likely progression of conflict and the appropriate strategies for its resolution; undertake beginning level mediation, negotiation and facilitation skills building; explore cooperative problem solving (win/win) as opposed to competitive problem solving (win/lose); provide professional training for mediators, facilitators and other dispute resolvers; participate in experiential exercises designed to develop practitioner skills; open new options for students to attack problems with a win/win philosophy; and provide alternative methods of resolving legal conflicts.

Landscape, Horticulture & Pest Control
The course focuses on landscape uses of plants, maintenance of landscape plants, and provides an introduction to plant selection. Woody plant materials are reviewed including trees, shrubs, vines, and ground covers. The course covers principles of plant maintenance including pruning and fertilization, plant propagation, maintenance of interior plants and identification of annuals and perennials for commercial use. The skills needed to professionally manage exterior property environments are reviewed to include turf and landscape plant management, irrigation, and maintenance of landscape construction features.