UB TCIE to debut new Green Belt, data courses in spring semester

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The University at Buffalo’s TCIE has developed two new courses, both of which help professionals use data to improve work performance.

The courses – the Certified Lean Six Sigma (LSS) Green Belt Transactional training and “What is Your Data Telling You?” – will be available for the first time for the spring 2014 semester.

Developed with service industry businesses in mind, but applicable across all disciplines, the Green Belt course enhances candidates’ problem-solving abilities and engages them in the data-driven, LSS industry-tested system for process variation reduction. Through finance, government and health care examples, candidates learn how to eliminate waste and boost efficiency.

The 72-hour course will be offered from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 12-14, April 2-4 and April 30-May 2. It will be held at the Ramada Hotel & Conference Center, 2402 North Forest Rd., Amherst.

Candidates complete an improvement project at their workplace and must pass an exam to earn certification. An early bird rate equating to $100 in savings is available until Dec. 31; otherwise, the last day for registration is March 5, space dependent.

The one-day “What is Your Data Telling You?” course explores the basic tenets of drawing value from data, and how the resulting analysis is helpful in making better decisions to improve the bottom line.

It is appropriate for employees from all levels of for-profit, not-for-profit and public sector organizations. Topics covered include what to do and what not to do with data collection, proper organization of data, representing data with visual tools, and transforming data into information.

The course will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Feb. 11 at the Ramada. Register by Feb. 4.

The rest of TCIE’s spring 2014 lineup includes:

• Root Cause Analysis and Corrective Action course, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Jan. 21 at the Ramada. This program is designed to improve the problem-solving skills of all employee levels by providing an understanding of the processes and techniques for determining the root cause of a nonconformance and the corrective action needed to prevent the problem from occurring again. Register by Jan. 14.

• Certified Lean Professional course, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Mondays, Jan. 27-April 7 (except Feb. 17 and March 17), as well as April 28, May 5, and June 2 and June 23. The 39-hour course is offered at UB’s Baird Research Park, 1576 Sweet Home Rd., Amherst. It introduces participants to the Lean methodology of saving money and reducing waste by identifying unnecessary processes. Register by Jan. 20.
  
  
• Minitab Software training, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Jan. 29 at the Ramada. This training navigates participants through the statistical tools of Minitab software, so that they may comfortably manipulate data and solve problems. Register by Jan. 22.

• Intellectual Property Breakfast seminar, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Feb. 25 at the Ramada. The seminar covers the fundamentals of intellectual property, exploring such issues as patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, licensing, patent trolls and defensive publishing. Register by Feb. 18.

• 3-Day ISO 13485 Internal Auditor training, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., March 11-13 at the Ramada. This training program provides the skills necessary to perform process audits in the medical device industry. Participants learn about the ISO 13485 standard, audit activities and techniques, objective evidence to gather, and expectations of third-party external auditors in determining compliance, in the quest to understand how to assess their organizations’ quality performance. Register by March 4.

For more information on the above offerings, contact Mariah Glass, TCIE training program coordinator, at (716) 645-8840 or mariahgl@buffalo.edu.

A program of the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, TCIE is Western New York's bridge to excellence by providing a dynamic link between UB’s expert resources and the region’s business community. Its core focus on engineering solutions and operational excellence drive continual improvements, and ignite innovation and technological advantage. For more information on how TCIE can assist Western New York businesses, go to www.tcie.buffalo.edu or call 716-645-8800.