RIT offers the Six Sigma white belt in leadership program to students

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Students will work to receive the Six Sigma white belt in leadership. The free two-day workshop will run 4 to 8 p.m. Oct. 21, and 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 22.

The ability to lead does not come easy.

To introduce students to a leadership approach and model that will help them in school and in their future careers, RIT will offer the Six Sigma white belt in the leadership program.

The free two-day workshop is 4 to 8 p.m. Oct. 21, and 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 22.

“Six Sigma teaches an approach that strives for perfection. Six Sigma wants you to go into a job and try to reduce the amount of defects and waste, thereby reducing the cost to the company,” says Duane Beck, Six Sigma curriculum developer and instructor in RIT’s mechanical engineering technology/packaging science department.

Students will walk away from the program having learned a leadership model that helps them participate in groups and manage effectively. The skills that students gain from this will show that they can influence others with their problem solving skills, critical thinking skills and decision-making skills.

Typical white-belt programs provide two to four hours of training, whereas RIT’s program will provide 10 hours. This introductory program will look at the production process of toys to teach Six Sigma skills such as leader relationships, integrity and creativity.

“The programs introduce you to tools and a new way of thinking that you can apply to almost any project,” says Brian Kyte, a mechanical engineering technology student and Six Sigma green belt.

“One tool we use, called the spaghetti diagram, shows how to improve productivity even when your final production path looks like a tangled plate of spaghetti,” explains Beck.

Upon completion of the workshop, each student will receive a Six Sigma white belt in leadership.

“When you put this on your résumé, you will be able to explain to a potential employer what you gained from the program and how it will help their company,” says Beck. “The white belt will help students from any major at RIT show employers that they can be an effective leader.”

Students can register at the RIT Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement website. For more information, e-mail leadga@rit.edu.