Business and Industry Training Department to be
Nationally Recognized by AchieveGlobal Next Month

CONTACT: KAREN SHOBE, EXT. 2230

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2/5/99
(By Lisa Garrett)

PENDLETON --- Tri-County Technical College's Business and Industry Training Department will be nationally recognized by AchieveGlobal in March for what it does every day – meeting the individual training needs of business and industry.

The College is the recipient of AchieveGlobal's 1998 Education and Economic Development Partnership Award as a result of its comprehensive training program with Glen Raven Mills. Over the past four years, the College has focused on meeting the textile company's multiple training needs.

Karen Shobe, an instructor in the Tri-County's Business and Industry Training Department, and Rita Bouchillon, training and education director for Glen Raven's Custom Fabrics Division for Anderson and Elberton, GA, will travel to Florida March 22 where they will receive the prestigious
award at AchieveGlobal's Partner's Conference. Both will participate as members of the Panel of Excellence by answering questions from fellow conference attendees about their partnership.

Tri-County began on-site training at Glen Raven in 1994 when company leadership identified a need for basic interpersonal skills training for its managers and supervisors. Shobe, a certified AchieveGlobal (formerly Zenger Miller) instructor, met with management to assess the company's specific needs.

"We work with all of our partners by assessing their needs first, then we develop a proposal," said Shobe. "Every customer is viewed as an individual. That's what this award does -- it highlights that we put our customers' needs first."

Shobe recommended that Glen Raven begin with the six Core Interpersonal Skills modules from Frontline Leadership, a program that emphasizes the leadership roles of supervisors and managers.

This training was conducted for 31 key managers (including the plant manager) and supervisors. Because of the overwhelming positive evaluations, Tri-County combined nine additional units of Frontline Leadership with two units from Team Leadership, in addition to two corporate training units on delegation and diversity delivered to 37
managers, supervisors and selected trainers.

Four core skills units from Working, a program that provides practical skills for overcoming obstacles on the job, were conducted for 12 secretaries and clerks, and later all 12 units of Working were conducted for 55 warp/slasher operators.

At Ms. Bouchillon's request, Shobe developed and conducted a Train-the-Trainer program for all of Glen Raven's internal trainers.

When Glen Raven moved into its new location on Liberty Highway, the expansion required hiring additional associates. Officials decided to revamp the plant's training program to broaden its associates' skills. "For the trainers to accomplish their job of training associates on new and more sophisticated machinery and equipment, they needed leadership skills," said Shobe. "The plant decided to use all 12 units of Leadership 2000 to provide the trainers those skills to help them to more easily and effectively train the hourly associates," she added. Several trainers were able to use the Leader 2000 training for college credit.

"Glen Raven recognizes the need for training for all of its employees," said Shobe. This led to other departments within the Continuing Education Division to provide training for the plant. Tri-County was selected to work with employees on specific technical training
skills, such as forklift training for maintenance technicians.

"Glen Raven has told me they feel this training has helped in the retention of valuable employees," said Shobe. "Associates are better equipped to effectively deal with challenging interpersonal relationships, and they have taken on more leadership roles in the facility. Their broadened knowledge has made each of them a more valued employee."

Shobe says associates have learned to work together better across departments. "A major outcome of this training is that the associates' self-esteems have increased. The stronger the self-confidence, the better the employee. Higher individual self-esteem and self-confidence translate into consistent attendance on the job, higher productivity and increased product quality," she said.

Last year, Bouchillon and Shobe reviewed all of the AchieveGlobal products and determined that WorkSkills, a program which addresses the specific needs of today's line and staff support employees, would be the initial training program. All of Glen Raven's hourly employees will be receiving WorkSkills training. Beginning this month, Tri-County will conduct three classes a week to cover all seven modules of WorkSkills. The sessions will continue through March of 2000.

Tri-County now serves as the sole external training supplier for Glen
Raven's Anderson plant.

"Our president and owner, Allen Gant, says Glen Raven's most important asset is its associates," said Bouchillon. "He allows Glen Raven to continue to invest in training. This allows the Custom Fabrics Division to be one of the most sought-after partners in the textile industry," she added.

"The ability to mix and match the AchieveGlobal units is a real plus in a diverse workforce such as Glen Raven," said Shobe. "What makes this partnership so successful is the continuing analysis of associate's training needs and the ability of the Business and Industry Training Department to customize AchieveGlobal and other products to meet those needs. These training programs in both hard and soft skills help to keep Glen Raven on the leading edge of the textile industry," said Shobe.

"Typically, we haven't done much training in the textile industry," Shobe added. "Our success with Glen Raven has opened the door for us to do the same type of training with other textile companies, such as Santens of America, Kendall Corporation, Orian Rugs and Blair Mills. Those companies see this as a means to increase their worldwide competitiveness and to enrich employee skills."
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