For Immediate Release

Professional Development in a Tough Economy
ASQ Web-based Courses a Win-Win

Milwaukee, Wis., July 22, 2008—It’s no secret the economy has seen better days. As many companies struggle with revenue, budgets, and staff, many look for cost-effective ways to continue to train and educate the work force they have in place. That may mean retraining existing staff that are called to assume new roles and skills because of a reduced work force.

Web-based learning is one option organizations are turning to in order to ensure the professional development of employees. Workers can continue to benefit from professional growth, and organizations will prosper from the gained skills and knowledge.

The American Society for Quality (ASQ) recognizes the critical need for professional training and education and is offering various virtual courses in the next couple of months targeted to the manufacturing industry.

Tim King, member of the ASQ faculty, said, “Virtual classes are a more efficient way to learn from a time management standpoint. It also reaches the new generation of quality professionals where technology and learning make perfect sense.” King continues, “The ASQ virtual training opportunities give quality professionals the luxury of staying current without the hassle of traveling. Without this benefit from ASQ, participants would be equally limited in their options.”

Upcoming ASQ Virtual Courses include:

August Courses

• Getting Started With Lean Six Sigma in a Small to Midsize Enterprise
  August 5, 2008, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. CDT

• Product Innovation — From Concept to Reality
  August 7, 2008, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. CDT

• Measuring Process and Organizational Performance — Two-day course
  Day One — August 19, 2008, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. CDT
  Day Two — August 26, 2008, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. CDT

September Courses

• Integrated Quality Management — Two-day course
  September 3–4, 2008, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. CDT

• Failure Mode and Effects Analysis — Design
  September 9, 2008, 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. CDT

• Failure Mode and Effects Analysis — Process
  September 11, 2008, 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. CDT

• Process Validation for Medical Device
  September 25, 2008, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. CDT

• ISO 13485:2003 Incorporating Key Requirements as a Quality Management System
  September 30, 2008, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. CDT

All ASQ courses are taught by and developed with qualified ASQ faculty with real-world experience in the topic at hand.
 

The American Society for Quality, www.asq.org, has been the world’s leading authority on quality for more than 60 years. With more than 90,000 individual and organizational members, the professional association advances learning, quality improvement and knowledge exchange to improve business results, and to create better workplaces and communities worldwide. As champion of the quality movement, ASQ offers technologies, concepts, tools and training to quality professionals, quality practitioners and everyday consumers, encouraging all to Make Good Great®. ASQ has been the sole administrator of the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award since 1991. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., ASQ is a founding partner of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), a prominent quarterly economic indicator, and also produces the Quarterly Quality Report.