When looking to receive the educational training that is needed to seek a career in the field of arts and design, you can enroll in a variety of accredited schools, colleges, and degree programs. Receiving a formal higher education will give you the skills that you will need to be successful in your chosen career. You can choose to train at different levels which allow you to specialize in the area you select. Coursework will cover multiple topics that relate to the specific career you have chosen to pursue. You can learn more about obtaining an accredited arts and design education and career by requesting more information from various programs.

Fashion Design

Pursuing a career in fashion design can be done at different levels through an accredited school or college. Training can be completed at different levels including an associate, bachelor, or master degree level. You will spend two to six years earning your degree depending on which one you choose. Coursework will cover multiple topics that relate to the level of education and career you wish to obtain. You can study courses like design, sewing, fabrics, sketching, ornamentation, colors, and much more. When you choose to obtain an accredited education in this area of the field you will find many career possibilities available to you. You can seek employment as a professional clothing designer, jewelry designer, or fashion merchandiser, working in retail, apparel manufacturing, and much more. You have the opportunity to receive the quality education that is necessary to be successful in fashion design.

Interior Design

Beginning the path to a career in interior design can be done by enrolling in an accredited educational training program. You can select from a variety of training options in order to receive the career preparation that you need. Learning programs are offered at different levels to help you pursue the career that’s right for you. You can choose to pursue an associate or bachelors degree which will require two to four years of training. When looking to receive an education in interior design you can study numerous topics to help you prepare for the career you dream of. Coursework may consist of learning Feng Shui, drawing, furniture design, perspective, ergonomics, spatial planning, and much more. Once you have trained in these areas you will be ready to seek the employment you desire. With an accredited degree in interior design you can seek employment with private customers, offices, design companies, and a variety of other businesses. You can become the interior designer you dream of by receiving a higher education.

Enrollment in an accredited learning program will help you to receive the career preparation you need to work in the field of arts and design. Studies will vary based on the level of education you choose to obtain but some can cover basic topics to help you learn Computer Aided Drafting (CAD), architecture, and much more. By receiving a higher education in this field you will be ready to work in marketing and sales, photography, fashion design, and much more. Start the path to an exciting new career by enrolling in an accredited program today.

Accredited arts and design degree programs are available to provide you with the career preparation you need to enter into a successful career. Full accreditation is provided by agencies like the Council for Interior Design Accreditation ( http://www.accredit-id.org/ ) to schools and colleges that offer a quality education and meet all criteria. You can begin by researching programs to find the one that fits your needs and enroll today.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERIC OUTLINE and may or may not depict precise methods, courses and/or focuses related to ANY ONE specific school(s) that may or may not be advertised at PETAP.org.

Copyright 2010 – All rights reserved by PETAP.org.

Senior management in every industry is well-known for setting-up our best skilled workers for failure. It is as if we are specifically trying to sabotage our own companies by reducing the workforce skill level and using poor management to try to fix it. A fancy new title and a raise does not a manger make. A top-notch management selection process and training program is the only road to ensure future success.

Leaders Make Great Managers:

The best worker does not make the best manager, the natural-born leader does. Though scholars continue to argue the finer details, it is widely accepted that “leaders are born and managers are made.” Leaders are followed. The directives of Managers are carried out. The Leader is the person spreading news from the grapevine, teaching trade tricks, and from whom co-workers seek advice. At breaks, the Leader can be found telling “there I was” stories with an attentive audience and organizing the weekend fishing trip or bar bash. The Manager is the person given that title by executives to be in charge of people, projects, and money.

In theory, anyone can be taught to manage well. Managers can be taught efficiency, organization, project flow, and even to earn the respect of those they manage. Managers, as the theory goes, cannot be taught how to lead. Though it is possible that the best worker is also a natural leader, this is rarely the case. Instead of looking to the firm’s best workers to serve in open management roles, consider promoting and training the natural leader. Management selection processes should begin pre-hire with an eye on identifying potential leaders. These employees should then be observed in their current role for signs of leadership and future advancement.

Tiered Management Structures:

Think large when developing the structure of management. All large companies were once small. So, instead of waiting until the company is large and then having to revamp the entire reporting chain; develop the structure at the outset. It is better to have a structure with unfilled positions, or those not currently needed in the smaller organization, then it is to remodel the entire structure at a later date to adapt it to the growing firm.

In some industries, the lowest level of management is the Shift Manager, Department Director, or Section Chief. In construction, we refer to this position as Foreman, Job Supervisor, or Superintendent. Each firm must chose these titles carefully and the reporting hierarchy with which they are associated. For the purposes of this article, let’s assume that the person who manages workers directly is called the Department Manager (DM). The Department Manager keeps the work flowing, assigns tasks, coordinates with other departments, ensures items are in-stock, and briefs the client, all while still working alongside their subordinates to facilitate the day’s activities. Department Managers report to the person who manages a number of departments, a position that is primarily office and paperwork intensive, usually called the General Manager (GM). GMs, in turn, report to a member of the Executive Staff, usually the Chief Operating Officer (COO).

It is not uncommon to further break up the management levels of DM and GM into subcategories. For example, the DM category could be sub-divided into: Junior Department Manager, Department Manager, and Senior Department Manager. A Junior DM may be the term used to describe a new entry into the management ranks who works under the direction of a DM or Senior DM. A DM would be an experienced manger with a bigger workforce and larger job assignments. Finally, a Senior DM would have the most experience at assisting with employee training, x-large projects, and those jobs requiring specialized skills or in dealing with detail-oriented clients. The Senior DM would likely run the largest or most complex department. The GM ranks could be similarly divided.

It is also wise to have pre-management positions that introduce potential entrants to the ranks without the accompanying official responsibilities. Thus, an Assistant Department Manager would serve as a normal crew member most of the time; but would be available to take over a portion of the project as needed by the DM. Additionally, they will fill-in as acting DM when the DM is on vacation or off work for personal reasons.

Management Training is Essential:

The most successful restaurant-chain in world history, McDonald’s, is the brunt of many jokes. They are, however, so successful because they are experts. Not only are they experts at “flipping burgers,” their world-renowned Hamburger University is a benchmark for educating management trainees on operation procedures, customer service, cleanliness, and business development. Similarly, Disney, United Parcel Service (UPS), Dell, and many others have been recognized as best-in-class for management and/or customer service training.

Unfortunately, many other industries have the opposite distinction. They are recognized as the industry that provides no management training or has the worst customer service. Digging deeper will usually find that these industries promote their best hopefuls with a new title and a pay bump, only to throw them to wolves by telling them to go run the workplace. Throwing a fellow in the Mississippi River to teach them to swim may have been accepted in Tom Sawyer’s day, but is a procedure doomed to fail with management trainees. At the very least, each level of management should be given initial training followed by annual re-occurring training that delves deeper and broader as employees move up through the ranks.

The best place to start is with the job description. What skills/tools will make the new manager improve company profitability and enhance reputation? Focus on key business areas:

• Customer Service
• Communicating Professionally
• Reoccurring Duties
• Completing Paperwork
• Management & Team Building
• Organization & Time Management
• Technical Skill Enhancement
• Role in Company’s Profitability
• Official Employee Interaction
• Merit Shop Responsibilities

Next, find outside vendors of one to two-day seminar-style courses and add self-study activities (books, books-on-tape, videos, webinars, etc.) that specialize in training new or advancing managers. Those activities that are specific to your company (completing a Job Report, corporate marketing soft-skills, or parts scheduling, for example) should be taught in-house by the DM team or executive staff.

Skills can be taught in week or multi-week long training intensive courses where a trainee focuses only on management training until completed. Or, conversely, management trainees can complete classroom training intermixed with field-work over an extended period of time (say, six months for management training).

Whatever your company’s approach, it must incorporate four overarching themes to profit and succeed in the new economy:

1. Develop a management structure for where you want your firm to be, not where it is.
2. Hire even entry-level technicians (apprentices) with potential management in mind.
3. Constantly analyze the workforce to identify leaders for future management positions.
4. Train, train, and re-train.

A new hotel employee was asked to clean the elevators and report back to the supervisor when the task was completed. When the employee failed to appear at the end of the day the supervisor assumed that like many others he had simply not liked the job and left. However, after four days the supervisor bumped into the new employee. He was cleaning in one of the elevators. “You surely haven’t been cleaning these elevators for four days, have you?” asked the supervisor, accusingly. “Yes sir,” said the employee, “This is a big job and I’ve not finished yet – do you realize there are over forty of them, two on each floor, and sometimes they are not even there… “

The story may be familiar to some. Nonetheless the underlining message is proper training in an unfamiliar environment is essential. Warehouses and distribution centers focus a lot of attention on management training they look for the brightest, talented, and most experienced person available. Yet when it comes to hiring the staff of people who are actually going to do the work they obtain someone with minimal education and work experience. Most companies hire hourly workers who may have been to several companies in past and assimilate them into their organization immediately and getting familiar with operation as they go along or in some cases not at all.

The problem with this method is that the company gets maybe a few months of productivity from the employee before the effects from a lack of proper training and experience starts to appear. If the situation persists it can result in a lot of challenges from inventory accuracy to audits not to mention a loss of revenue for the company and the cycle repeated by terminating the employee and making the same mistake again with a new hire.

The majority of new employees in the warehouse come from other organizations or temporary services and after a few days on the job practice former company habits in receiving, storing, picking, and moving products. But all companies are not the same and although you may want them to perform in a different manner if you haven’t trained them in your company culture and processes or worst they come with a lack of experience then they usually learn from others which may not be the right way if you want to have a quality workforce.

Deficiency in Training and Experience

Deficient training and experience can have an adverse affect on your organization. In travelling the world I’ve noted many excuses as to why organizations can’t train their hourly workers properly. Some were for example “if I train them they will leave and take the training elsewhere.” Or “we don’t have the budget for company training.” But the question is can you afford not to train them? According to recent statistics the average company experiences a minimum of 1.6 hours of downtime per week (i.e. reduced production, delays in maintenance, shutdowns, and inaccurate data collection). To put it in a more proper perspective a distribution center with 50 employees who are paid $29 per hour ($15 per hour salary + $14 per hour in benefits) the downtime cost of such a company would be $9280 weekly which translates into more than $110,000 yearly.

This under the assumption that all workers in the company will be forced to stop all production during a downtime scenario which may not happen but just a few key distribution workers on the docks could create a severe impact on the operation. But before you can assess your downtime cost you need to determine its origin. The best way to accomplish this is to do a downtime threat analysis. Some threats that could cause downtime,

1. Internal and external sources

• Technological

• Accidental versus intentional

• Controllable risk or those beyond the organization’s control

• Events with prior warning versus those with no warning

• Employee sick leave

• Absenteeism

• Qualified versus non-qualified workers

2. Three questions that should be focused on when doing a threat analysis.

• Identify the relevant compliance issues

• Establish a cost associated with each compliance issue

• Develop processes to reexamine downtime threats on a continuous basis

The Benefits of Training and Experience

Having skilled and dedicated workers at the lower levels is good business practice and makes good sense. Empirical evidence shows significant correlation between experience and compensation (see Robert Willis 1986 and Theresa Devine and Nicholas Kiefer 1991 for surveys). Moreover, on-the-job-training, apprenticeships and internships provide experience at significant costs to both individuals and organizations: Sherwin Rosen (1972: p327) states, “(w)workers demand learning opportunities and are willing to pay for them since their marketable skill or knowledge and subsequent income are increased.”

The importance of experience and training your employees can provide more than just compensation it can save time for the organization; workers have a more positive feeling about the organization, they get off to a good start and, they know what they are doing.

Experience and training adds value to your organization and employers acknowledge that the values these employees bring translate to;

• Increased profits

• Decreased costs

• Increased quality, and

• Increased customer satisfaction

Heymann and Barrera (2010) exemplified the values of employees in their study where they interviewed employees at all levels, from the lowest paid to those in top management positions including CEOs, CFOs, and COOs in nine different countries. Companies ranged in size from 27 to 126,000 employees and included those in the public and private sector of the automobile, financial services, personal goods, technology hardware and equipment, pharmaceutical, food production, construction materials, and industrial metals industries.

They concluded that companies such as Costco and Great Little Box Company because of the incentives they offered from the lowest level employee to senior management had happier, more productive employees and a lower turnover ratio than their competitors in the same industry. They also found for Costco treating workers well was important it led to increased motivation and a higher quality of service. This combination along with good wages and the knowledge that there were opportunities for advancement were important incentives for employees to work hard. The high quality of service by motivated and engaged employees at Costco, coupled with the low prices, meant that customers returned, and were willing to pay the membership fees.

Great Little Box Company practiced an open-book management strategy (holding monthly meetings discussing the organizations, finances, production, and sales performance with staff members at every level) this gave employees a sense of ownership in the company yet in or to be more effective the organizations leadership incorporated profit sharing. The Great Little Box Company also encouraged employees to come up with cost saving ideas. One such idea resulted in cross-departmental use a particular piece of equipment used exclusively in the labeling department but now shared with the department charged with printing folding cartons which resulted in a cost savings of 12% a task sourced out to a printing company in the past.

Ideas and strategies of employee involvement is nothing new we’ve seen programs like TQM, Quality Circles, and Agile all stress the same thing but unlike The Great Little Box Company that actually implemented and followed through; it was just another fashionable idea that died out when the next great wave of pop management techniques came along.

The open-book management strategy has served The great Little Box Company well in terms of substantial gains and profits. The last decade their sales have doubled from 17m to 35m and in the past seven years the company’s success has enabled it to purchase the assets of six companies.

Zenger, Folkman & Edinger (2010) concluded in their study of companies that were profitable. They identified five areas that were common among the companies with substantial growth.

1. Employee satisfaction/commitment

2. Employee turnover

3. Percent of employees who think about quitting

4. Satisfaction with pay

5. High commitment

Zenger, Folkman & Edinger (2010) study although not inclusive makes a strong case that experience, training, and employee involvement is essential for growth and profitability of a company. Costco and the Great Little Box Company are two good examples of companies succeeding with experience, training, and company involvement at every level but it’s not the exact rule of thumb. Incentives and involvement are factors worth noting but in order to have great ideas to save organizations money there needs to be a certain amount of experience and training among the staff at each level.

Achieving the type of success that Costco and The Great Little Box Company has obtained; companies need to find what works for them and how it relates to company goals. Don’t follow other organizations or emulate their systems of operation because each company is different and doesn’t necessarily translate into success for your company.

References

Heymann, J., & Barrera, M. (2010). How Businesses Can Profit From Raising Compensation At The Bottom. Ivey Business Journal Dec 2010.

Rosen, S. (1972). “Learning and Experience in the Labor Market,” The Journal of Human Resources, 1972, 7. pp. 326-342.

Zenger, J., Folkman, J., & Edinger,.K. (2010). How Extraordinary Leaders Double Profits:

Decoding Leadership Trends to Discover the Patterns.