Training aims to help government be simpler, faster, better and less costly

A facilitator leads a training session for Kent State
University’s Center for Corporate and Professional
Development. The center now provides Lean training and
consulting for local government entities.

Kent State University’s Center for Corporate and Professional Development now provides Lean training and consulting for local government entities. The state of Ohio’s Local Government Efficiency Program is offering funding for local government entities to learn and apply Lean strategies to innovate, provide better service and save money. This is a new opportunity for Ohio political subdivisions to receive funding, training and assistance to improve their organizations and processes.

Lean refers to a collection of principles and methods that focus on the identification and elimination of wasteful activities in any process. Lean methods provide an alternative path to navigating tough budget pressures and customer service and responsiveness demands on public agencies.

“LeanOhio Boot Camp – Transforming the Public Sector” takes place June 23–27 at the University Center at Kent State University at Stark in Canton, Ohio. The sessions run daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and are facilitated by Kent State consultants John Novak and John Potkalitsky.

The camp is an intensive weeklong training for people who work in government in an Ohio city, township, county, school district, or other governmental agency or organization. Participants will be able to use their new knowledge and skills immediately to generate results – to make government simpler, faster, better and less costly. The training is filled with government examples and exercises. Included is an in-depth simulation involving a prototypical agency, so participants build their toolkits by way of a real-world situation.

When LeanOhio Boot Camp participants complete their week of training, they will be newly equipped to identify the leading causes of waste, make invisible processes visible so they can be dramatically simplified, be an effective improvement team member, and decrease the complexity of processes and eliminate unneeded steps.

Organizations that have already enrolled for the LeanOhio Boot Camp include Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority, Hudson City Schools, Lake Metropolitan Housing Authority, Stark County Regional Transit Authority, the city of Coshocton and the Portage County Department of Jobs and Family Services.

Kent State’s facilitators have years of practical experience implementing Lean and Six Sigma within organizations. Since 2003, Kent State has trained more than 400 Lean Six Sigma Black Belts from organizations of all industries, including the U. S. Navy, FedEx, University Hospitals and Colgate-Palmolive.

The program also will be offered in three additional Kent State locations later this year.

• Aug. 11-15 – Kent State University’s Regional Academic Center, Twinsburg, Ohio
• Sept. 15-19 – The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ashtabula, Ohio
• Nov. 17-21 – Kent State University at Trumbull, Warren, Ohio
  

The cost for each participant is $2,000, which includes the LeanOhio Boot Camp Manual, Lean Tool Kit, certificate of participation, access to the LeanOhio Network and lunch each day. Registrants may apply for a scholarship voucher through the Local Government Efficiency Program, sponsored by the state of Ohio’s Development Services Agency. Once approved, employees can register for a Boot Camp session by calling Kent State at 330-672-8698 or by visiting www.kent.edu/about/yourtrainingpartner/programs/lgep.cfm.

For more information on Kent State’s Center for Corporate and Professional Development, visit www.kent.edu/yourtrainingpartner.