July 13, 2018

With the assistance of Medicine Hat College (MHC), JBS Canada is launching a new program in July. Total Quality Management (TQM) allows team members an opportunity to build their leadership skills while influencing business operations.

Developed around concepts like Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma, TQM identifies inefficiencies within the company. Divided into four levels, team members who are accepted into the program have a chance to work their way up from beginner to master status.

“This is a natural next step from the existing Foundations Leadership program, which offers employees a chance to use the skills they’ve learned, including personal well-being, leadership and occupational health and safety, to make impactful change in the organization,” says, Wes Paterson, corporate training officer at MHC.

Each level is a three-day program that is followed by approximately three months of implementation and concluded with presentations.

“Employees learn everything from public speaking and how to create presentations to designing a fishbone diagram [a visual tool for categorizing potential problems] and finding efficiencies,” explains Paterson. “This not only focuses on professional development but could result in the company saving thousands of dollars.”

Team members are incentivized both financially and with the potential for promotion. 

This pilot program, if effective, could lead to the model being used at JBS Canada’s international offices.

According to David Colwell, CEO of JBS Canada, partnerships like these have allowed the organization to enhance their team members’ well-being and continue to strengthen their operations.

“We are fortunate to have Medicine Hat College’s Brooks Campus in our community,” says Colwell. “Not only does it develop programs like these, but they also provide our team members with other ways to grow, whether it be learning English or working toward a trade that they can use here. We look forward to seeing what other opportunities might come out of this.”

For more information on the services available at Medicine Hat College or to receive customized corporate training, visit www.mhc.ab.ca.

The Foundations of Leadership Skills and Total Quality Management programs were made possible through the Canada-Alberta Job Grant, which pays for up to two-thirds of the training costs for approved projects that develop the skills of Alberta’s labour force. The grant is designed to assist with external training costs when such expenditures might otherwise be out of reach for some companies.