Ohio The Center for Business and Industry, the EnterpriseOhio Network affiliate at Southern State Community College, is providing an on-site program of college credit classes designed to raise the technical skills of the company's work force at its Wilmington plant. Crysteco is a major producer of pure and doped silicon ingot and wafers for the power semiconductor industry. Challenge Recently Crysteco made a major investment in its high level technical personnel, upgraded its equipment technology, and saw the need to make a concomitant investment in upgrading skills of its production and maintenance workers. The company operates continuously four twelve-hour operating shifts in three different production areas, each with different starting times.
Some shifts rotate every other week.
To maintain high morale, Crysteco wanted a program highly relevant to participants' jobs, open to any qualified employee with participants moving together as a cohort group. Solution Southern State's Center for Business and Industry, in conjunction with the College's Engineering Department, developed a unique program in response to Crysteco's needs. Employees' math skills were assessed and subsequently the College's Adult Basic Literacy Program and the Mathematics Department provided some employees with remedial instruction. Rotating training sessions accommodate complex employee work schedules. Results Since Summer 1997 training sessions have been met exceptionally high enthusiasm.