One of the world’s foremost Six Sigma accreditation bodies, the Council for Six Sigma Certification, has named the Office of Continuing Education an accredited training provider. The council offers accrediting services to more than 165 countries around the world, including university programs, government agencies, and corporate training programs.

Starting in April, Continuing Education will launch its accredited Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification program, which meets the council’s rigorous requirements and standards in terms of classroom hours, breadth of coverage, and testing criteria. Learners will be certified to identify opportunities for improvement, understand the DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control) cycle, and apply critical tools on real-world case studies.

Six Sigma is a methodology that provides organizations the tools needed to improve performance, employee morale, and quality of products and services by reducing defects and process variation. Developed by Motorola executives in the early 1990s and adopted by more than two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies today, the Six Sigma method aims to reduce costs and improve quality in the manufacturing sector as well as other fields, including finance, education, software development, and human resources.

According to instructor Nadir Jabur, is a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt holder and Continuous Improvement coach, the Green Belt certification is one of the most widely recognized certifications out on the market, and for good reason.

“Every organization faces obstacles to meet cost, delivery, and quality targets consistently. That’s why Green Belt champions become invaluable members of any team,” he says. “They uncover inefficiencies, lead continuous improvement initiatives, standardize processes, and tackle waste through proven Lean and Six Sigma methodologies.”

Jabur will be providing an overview of the program, its benefits, and the importance of this certification in an upcoming info session, March 2 at noon.

The 35-hour program is open to the community and current students. Classes are online and take place Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings, starting April 24. For full program details, and to register for the free info session, visit the Continuing Education website.

A market Friday, Feb. 10, in the student centre, will feature a number of Black-owned businesses offering goods and services from food and fashion to hair and skin care and mental health.

Presented by the AfroFest cultural festival, the Winter Market runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Next on the agenda is the Talent Show scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14. It is open to musicians, singers, dancers, rappers, poets, actors, comedians, magicians — whatever your skill, have a turn in the spotlight. Applications to perform are due by Monday, Feb. 13. Find details on the AfroFest webpage.

The Lancer men’s curling team will compete in the Ontario University Athletics championship tournament this weekend in Peterborough, with preliminary matches scheduled Friday and Saturday against Carleton, Algoma, Waterloo, and Queen’s.

Track and field will see action in the Team Challenge meet, Friday and Saturday in the Dennis Fairall Fieldhouse. The same venue will host the OUA championships Feb. 24 and 25; passes are on sale now.

The men’s basketball team will take a five-game winning streak into a home game against the Brock Badgers, Friday in the Toldo Lancer Centre. They’ll tip off at 8 p.m. and the women have a 6 p.m. start. Both teams will meet the Gryphons in Guelph on Saturday.

Fans will have a chance to congratulate graduating volleyball athletes at Sunday’s final home games of the season. The Senior’s Day opponents are Toronto Metropolitan University, with women playing at 2 p.m. and the men at 4 p.m.

Men’s hockey will meet the Lakehead Thunderwolves in Thunder Bay at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, and stop in London on Saturday, Feb. 11, for a game against Western.

Women’s hockey will be in Waterloo for a pair of games Friday and Saturday against the Warriors.

The “Plan Ahead - Get Ready for University” event, designed for high school students preparing to select their courses, drew 600 visitors to the UWindsor campus Feb. 4.

Enrolment management and career development staff led the high schoolers to a career and academic pathway using an innovative “Career Cluster – Self Assessment” to explore one of six clusters and associated academic programs.

After attending breakout sessions based on their results, students and their parents had the opportunity to learn more about funding their education, transition to university, and supports available to help them thrive.

Organizer Kennedy Wonnacott says a conversation with an attending parent highlighted how the event provided his daughter with the right amount of information at the right time of year.

“He told me how the career cluster activity helped provide a tool that his daughter could reflect upon and, combined with the provided Grade 9 to 11 High School Course Planning Guide, will set her up for future university success,” Wonnacott recalls.

Chris Busch, associate vice-president of enrolment management, says it’s essential to engage future Lancers early: “This event, combined with a new website specifically for high school students, ensures that we help them ensure they have the prerequisites necessary to pursue their desired major or field of study and gain the academic preparation necessary for a successful transition to university, even if it is not UWindsor — but we hope it will be!”

His office plans to continue to engage all who registered for the event and extends appreciation to campus partners involved, including the Office of Career Development and Experiential Learning, academic faculties, and student support areas.

An information session held Jan. 23 by Boeing, one of Canada’s largest aerospace manufacturers, offered UWindsor engineering students the chance to learn about experiential learning opportunities at the company’s manufacturing facility in Winnipeg.

Phil Weissgaerber, an industrial engineer manager at Boeing, hosted the event in partnership with the office of co-operative education and workplace partnerships to recruit student talent and promote co-op placement opportunities for students interested in pursuing a career in industrial or mechanical engineering. This was Weissgaerber’s first time visiting the UWindsor campus and touring the faculty of engineering.

“During my time on campus, I was extremely impressed by the amazing facilities within the engineering faculty, and also by the students,” says Weissgaerber. “They were very engaged in the information session and asked great questions. The University of Windsor is definitely a hidden gem in Canada.”

Jeff Quinlan, employer relations co-ordinator for co-operative education and workplace partnerships, says the event not only helped students learn about career opportunities outside Windsor-Essex, but helped them to make connections they could leverage in the future.

“These types of events give students the opportunity to ask questions and gain insight into the hiring processes of potential employers. Boeing’s visit to campus was especially helpful for students seeking employment outside our region, as they were able to connect directly with a representative to help make more informed decisions about their future,” he says.

More than 50 students attended to learn how they can gain real, hands-on experience in the aerospace industry, and to improve their chances of landing a job in Winnipeg. Boeing currently employs two UWindsor engineering grads with the hopes of hiring more students through the co-operative education program.